Blue Moon
by JadziaVu
Summary: Being recruited to the Normandy SR-2 as Commander Shepard's First Lieutenant was an absolute dream come true! Little did I know that joining the crew would reunite me with the only man – er, turian – to ever ignite my actual dreams.
1. That Old Flame

**For the longest time, I've wanted to write the traditional "Night Before Omega 4" Shakarian fanfic. At first, I thought about writing it on my own, then I thought perhaps it might be fun to do a collab story/role play. But after searching for writers without success, I went back thinking I would write it myself. Just get it over with! Scratch the itch! Then, as I sat down to begin typing, I had a better idea…a wicked idea…**

**Why would I write the story that's already been worn out, when I have the power to put myself in the leading role? I'm such a dirty fangirl! Prepare yourselves, people, what you're about to read is basically my sick xenophilic fantasy about Garrus Vakarian and yours truly. Never written in the first person, much less about my actual self. We'll see how it goes, who knows, I might enjoy it! [Insert evil laugh here].**

**Note: Obviously, this is going to be written in my own universe, so the storyline will be a bit askew from the games, but all the traditional elements are there.**

* * *

"Welcome aboard, First Lieutenant, I know you'll be a valuable asset to the team."

Shepard outstretched her hand, and I took it graciously.

"Thank you, Commander. I'll sure do my best."

[_Commander, you're needed on deck_], the male voice buzzed through the intercom above, eliciting a deep sigh from my new Captain.

"Alright, Joker, I'll be right there." She looked back to me with a polite smile, "I'll leave you to make your acquaintance with the rest of the crew. The pilot goes by Joker, let him know if you need me. He'll know where to find me." She turned on her heels to make her way to the elevator, "He always does."

My heart was jumping in my chest. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I couldn't believe it had actually been handed to _me_. I hadn't been this excited since I was recommended for N-school. Well, maybe achieving N7 status was a little more exciting, but that was a selfish excitement. This was a chance to do something worthwhile for the galaxy!

Cracking my knuckles with anticipation, my pep-happy step took me from my current position in the Medical Ward to the private quarters. A bag with everything I owned was slung over my shoulder, and something that felt like husks trying to claw out of my body gripped my stomach.

_Deep breaths, Jay, everything will be fine._

I found the only empty bunk in the room and flung my unopened back onto the bounce-less mattress. Good. I always slept better on the floor anyway. A firm mattress would do wonders for me. The quarters were quiet and empty, so I decided to do as the Commander instructed and make myself known to the rest of the crew. If I could find any of them. The mess hall was vacant, and there was no answer to my knocking at the office door to the left where the name 'Dr. Liara T'Soni' was scribed into the metal plating.

With a sigh, I decided to try the CIC, making my way back toward the elevators. The husks in my stomach were clawing furiously now. Damnit, why was I so nervous? I pressed the button, waiting as patiently as one could wait with husks in their stomach, bouncing on my heels and praying for the cool confidence to _not_ make an idiot of a first impression.

The doors binged and slid open. I took my queue to step inside just as a bulky, blue-armored turian stepped out. His jagged, metallic shoulder slammed into my unprotected one, making me yelp. I wanted to tell him to watch where the hell he was going, but as first impressions went, 'bitch with an attitude' was not the reputation I wanted to facilitate.

"Excuse me, Sir, I – " My thought was cut short when he turned to face me.

"Vu?"

"Vakarian?"

The husks were immediately executed.

"You got recruited to the Normandy, too?" I asked with surprise.

He reached out a hand and pulled me into a rather brotherly, slap-on-the-back kind of hug, punching me in the shoulder playfully with his retort, "Are you kidding? This is _my _ship, Vu!" His blue eyes ventured down to the N7 label on my zip-up, and he thumped at it with an impressed expression, "Well, well! Look at you!"

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had an unhealthy crush on Officer Vakarian during my time as a lowly C-Sec apprentice. He had been my Security Director years ago, right before I was pulled away for N7 training. I had been ecstatic to leave the academy and begin my training, but I never did forget those blue eyes. Damn, he was still just as gorgeous as I remembered him being five years ago.

"Made it all the way through, eh?"

I crossed my arms in my chest, "Is that _surprise_ I hear in your flanged voice, Sir?"

He chuckled, "Not at all! I always knew you had it in you, kid."

He punched my shoulder again. Okay, maybe one husk had survived.

Kid?

Damnit, I didn't still want to be _'kid'_. The turian was seven years my senior, which would have been an equal distance in human years given that our life-spans are the same. But still, _kid_? A groan of disappointment threatened to leap out with the husk, but I held them both at bay.

"Well, welcome aboard, Vu. I know you'll fit right in here", he mused.

I nodded respectfully, "Thank you, Sir. Glad to be here."

He turned to leave, and I pressed the button to recall the elevator that had escape during our conversation.

"Oh, and Vu!", I heard him call from around the corner.

"Sir?"

"Don't tell anyone at the academy this, but you were always my favorite." My heart leapt into my chest. Was he...could he be _flirting_ with me? "Good apprentices are hard to come by."

Nope.

The euphoria crashed. It took every ounce of theatrics in me to make the next statement sound grateful rather than disappointed, "Thank you, Sir."

I spent the rest of the morning introducing myself to the various crew members, and hopefully, building a good first impression for myself. Dr. T'Soni was pleasant enough, kind of nerdy, but nice. The pilot, Joker, was a riot. We hit it right off. The ship's AI, EDI, was an interesting persona. I'd never met a real AI before. I guess I expected them to be a bit more…frigid? Jack was callous, but fun, I liked her. And Alenko, well, he gave off a bit of a pussy-whipped, lost puppy vibe, but he was alright. Not really my kind of man.

No, my kind of man was walking toward me on those long, turian thighs. Thin waist bending and swaying over his broad, strong shoulders. God, I loved to watch him walk. His mandibles were flicking with annoyance, a state much different than I had last seen him in. I also couldn't help but take notice of the deep scars running across his right mandible and down his neck. What the hell happened? Not that it mattered. He was still beautiful to me.

_OUCH!_

"Excuse me! I'm sorry, I did not see you", the quarian blurted, fumbling with her tech equipment.

I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who was a nervous mess on this vessel, "No worries! Name's Vu."

I extended a human gesture, which she took without hesitation into a polite shake, "Vu?"

"Or Jay, it's whatever", I shrugged.

"Nice to meet you, Jay. I'm Tali." I nodded with a smile. "I hate to run away like this, but I really have to get down to engineering. It was nice to meet you. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you. Please, don't let me keep you, I'm sure I'll see you around."

I stepped aside, allowing her to pass just as Vakarian passed us both in the opposite direction. My throat was suddenly dry. I wanted to talk to him, about what I had no idea. After all, he was the only person I actually knew beyond a polite introduction on this entire vessel.

"Ah-hey, Vakarian!" I called after him, voice an octave higher than I would have liked.

He stopped abruptly and turned to glare at me, "Not now, Jay, I have – some calibrations to do."

It was the first time he had addressed me so informally. I wasn't even aware that he knew my first name, or at least my _nickname_ for my first name. The name's Jadzia, but everyone calls me Jay when it's not Vu. The proud part of me battled with the part that was slightly hurt by being blown off so abruptly, but then, he did seem pretty perturbed about something.

Once I got over the initial trauma of getting to know everyone aboard, things sort of fell into place the way they always had. I was good at what I did, and glad to be of some use on board. I may have been the next ranking officer behind Commander Shepard, but my place on the ship was behind the scenes, getting my hands dirty. That's how I liked it. The layout of the Normandy SR-2 wasn't all that different from the Freedom where I had served before. I found my way easily around to the important areas, beginning with engineering and making my way to the Main Battery. The room was an impressive size, equipped with everything my heart could ever desire and more. I poked around the station, familiarizing myself with the equipment and calibrating units. The hum of the engines and machinery always brought me some peace, it was no different here.

The sound of the doors sliding apart caught my attention, and I glanced over my shoulder to find my brooding ex-Security Director making his way into the room. He hadn't noticed me. Slamming his rifle onto the table to his right, he sealed the doors and instructed EDI to, "Lock them and don't let anyone in."

_Oops_. I figured I should probably make myself known. He clearly wanted to be alone, but I wasn't one for gawking in a corner, too afraid to speak up. "Vakarian, Sir. I'm in here."

His head shot around, squinting in my direction, "Jay? What are you doing in here?"

"Getting acquainted. This is, ah, kind of my area of expertise."

He looked slightly impressed beneath the dripping hostility and annoyance in his growling voice.

Damnit if it wasn't actually turning me on.

"Is that so?", he asked, "And what exactly do you know about calibrating weapons systems, kid?" The question was challenging, slightly condescending, and I felt my spine stack as I approached him. His eyes were on the glowing console in front of him, which irritated me. You passively insult me, the ignore me? I don't think so, Vakarian!

"Just as much as any other expert in the field, with the added benefit of having been raised by the very engineer who designed three quarters of the ones used on human/turian vessels, _Sir_. And I'm not twenty-two or your apprentice anymore, Vakarian. I'm your superior officer. I'll gladly share the duties of this battery with you, but if you object, I'm sure you can find another job to occupy your time on this ship."

It was harsher than I had intended to be, but shit, he pissed me off!

His blue eyes blinked at me over the console as I walked slowly to his side, standing as tall as my mere human, female frame would allow against his towering turian height. For a moment I thought he might throw a fit, then his expression relaxed into one I was familiar with. I had become quite adept at reading turian expressions during my time working under him in C-Sec. A byproduct of my inability to keep from staring at him every chance I got. His mandibles relaxed into a turian smile and he nodded respectfully at me.

"Yes, Ma'am, I believe you're right. Please, forgive my insubordination."

I felt relieved, returning his smile, "Apology accepted, Sir."

He laughed, "You give me that lecture, then call me 'Sir'?"

I shrugged, "Old habits."

He returned his focus to the console, "I'm glad you're here actually." _Really?_ "I could use a second opinion on this systems control outlet. I think I messed up somewhere."

I stepped up beside him, so close I could feel the heat of his body radiating out of his armor, and checked the console "Garrus Vakarian? Make a goof? Get out of town!"

He looked confused, "Is that one of those human expressions or do you want me to leave?"

"Relax, Vakarian. I may be your next ranking officer, but I can't make you leave town." I looked up at him with a wink, "Yet."

He chuckled, rumbling deep in his chest while I looked over the glowing points he had marked. He placed a heavy arm next to me so he could stare over my shoulder. If it had been anyone else, I would have ordered them to back off a few feet, but for him, I made the exception.

"Here it is", I said finally, pointing at the screen, "watch here." I tapped at the paneling with a few expert moves and the diagram transformed.

The words: _'Optimum Functional Capacity'_ flashed on the screen.

"Hah", I heard him grunt, "You gotta teach me how to do that! It could save me hours!"

"Oh, I'm sure there's a lot I could teach you." I squished my face together with embarrassment. The comment came out much more suggestive than I had intended. Luckily for me, the turian hadn't noticed.

His arm retracted to scratch the back of his neck. He seemed much more relaxed now. "Well that takes care of that. Guess I should go pack." He walked to the table where his abused rifle still lay.

"Pack?"

"Didn't anyone tell you? We're headed for the Citadel. Shore leave for 24 hours upon arrival. We only stopped to pick up you and…", his voice trailed off.

"His name's Alenko."

"I know his name", he snapped. "He's a former member of the Normandy crew. So _happy _he's back." His tone dripped with sarcasm and distain.

Normally, I wasn't one to butt around in other people's affairs. Gossip and girl talk weren't my thing, and a shoulder-to-cry-on certainly wasn't. But this was Vakarian. He'd nurtured me through two years of my rising career. Surely, I owed him something for that.

"Vakarian, Sir?"

He snickered, "Garrus is fine, Jay. You aren't my twenty-two year old apprentice anymore, remember?"

I grinned, "Right. So, _Garrus_, you seem less than cheery about Alenko's grand return. Care to share or should I butt the hell out?"

His blue eyes flicked over to me for a moment, appraisingly considering. "You really have grown up, haven't you, Vu? Man, I'm getting old."

I rolled own blue eyes, "Yeah okay, Garrus. You're treating me like a kid again, ya know."

"Hey!", his arms were outstretch in surrender, "It's weird for me! Sorry, I'm sorry."

_That's just great. Weird is exactly what I was going for._

"So how about it, Jay? Shore leave in T-minus two hours. Are we getting drinks or what?"

My ears perked.

"Sure", I answered in my very best 'nonchalant' tone. "First round's on me."


	2. Jail Break

Loud, thumping, drinking holes like Purgatory were never really my scene, but I usually endured them fairly well. It didn't matter what vessel you were on or what crew you flew with, everyone seemed to love joints like this. Luckily for me, Garrus wasn't the dancing type. As enticing as the thought of him grinding me on the dance floor was, I'd rather it was done in private than in front of every eye on the Normandy. Round one was bought by me, as promised. After that, my turian crewmate insisted on buying the rest of the drinks.

"There are a few perks to being an Expert Reaper Advisor", he slurred his argument to me as we both tried to rise from the table. "I've got this, Jay. Consider it my 'Welcome Aboard' gift." His three-taloned hand grabbed a hold of my forearm, and the bare skin to skin contact set me on fire. Or maybe that was the whiskey?

I finally conceded reluctantly, taking my seat at the table. The dancing asari directly across from me winked, wagging her posterior in the air. I gave her a polite, side-ways grin, averting my eyes before she came to ask me to dance. Suddenly, a bottle of levo-dextro safe wine was slammed onto the table next to me, making me jump.

"What the hell are they doing here? I figured they'd be at that damned officer's dinner", Garrus groaned, taking his seat next to me and motioning to the front of the room.

I turned to see Commander Shepard and Alenko walk through the crowd together. The puzzle pieces were starting to fit into the shape of a scorned turian lover. I didn't want to pry, and in reality, I didn't know how even if I _had_ wanted to.

"She sure doesn't waste her time, I'll give her that", he groaned.

I turned to face him, unsure of what to say. Clearly, he and the Commander had experienced some sort of tryst gone array secondary to the return of Tanning Booth back there. But…what? What the hell could I say? I didn't know how to make it better.

_Think, Jay! Be a friend!_

"I can't take this, let's get out of here", he finally demanded, grabbing my hand to pull me along.

"But, the wine! You just bought it, don't you wanna stay and drink it?"

His hand was huge, and so warm.

"Bring it. We'll find another place to catch up."

'Catching up' was what we had been doing for the last, what was it, five drinks? Enough for me to stumble a few times on the way out the door, I know that much. It's a good thing Garrus was gripping my hand or I might have actually eaten the concrete just outside. Just as my shoe caught the doorstop, his strong arm yanked me up from the fall. There was a whirl of color, and suddenly, I was crushed up against his plated chest. Even without his armor, his hardened body knocked the air from me.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed with a turian grin, "I hope you don't wobble like an infant during missions. We might have to leave you behind."

My pride got the best of me. I was not damsel in distress, damnit! Scoffing, I shoved him away, stumbling into the other direction and catching myself against the wall. "You see this finger?" I held up my middle finger for a moment, then exchanged it for the index, "Oh, no wait, this one." He laughed at me, clearly aware of the meaning behind the human middle digit. "This finger is a sure thing, buddy. No one is a better shot than me."

"S'that so?", he growled, sauntering over to me with an air of confidence that soaked through my jeans. He closed the gap between us, placing one hand beside me on the wall and leaning in so close I could smell him. "Prove it."

I tried to laugh, but it came out all wrong. A drunken, squeaky-something that made me cringe inside with embarrassment. "What? You don't remember? You're the one who taught me to use a gun."

"I know that, but you said you're the best. You can't be better than your teacher, can you?"

I pushed him back, making him stumble a few feet, "S'that a challenge Vakarian?"

"You bet your tight little ass it is."

I was completely thrown by that last comment, and apparently, so was he. We stared, blinking at one another for a moment before he started in with the apologies, "Jay, I – I didn't mean. I'm sorry, I – "

I knew my grin was seductive, but I just didn't have the wherewithal to stop it, "I didn't realize turians appreciated human anatomy."

The fire in his eyes was gone, replaced with humiliation and shame, "I uh – ahem – well, I've learned to…" his voice trailed off.

"Z'this about Shepard? You two were lovers, huh?"

Well, there it was. I finally prodded.

"Hey! You two can't crowd the entrance way. In or out, pick one!" A turian bouncer approached us, flinging his arms.

"Alright alright, just calm down, we're going", I mumbled, pushing myself from my nice stable wall. Garrus was at my side in an instant, helping me back into stride.

"You and your girlfriend should get a hotel room. She's too drunk to walk, and you don't look much better", the bouncer called after us.

"We're not driving, thanks", Garrus reassured him, hand tightly around my waist.

It took a few steps before I realized he hadn't argued our relationship status. A heat filled my cheeks as I grinned, try as I might to hide it. As I caught my bearings, somehow the judgment call to open the wine flashed through my inebriated brain. We eventually made our way to a secluded bench overlooking the waters of the Presidium, passing the bottle back and forth between us.

"M'Kay, so get this", Garrus groans in that brooding tone. He was about to talk about he and Shepard, I could sense it. "She comes to me a few nights before we hit the relay, and in that round about human way your kind is so fond of, she makes a pass at me."

I took the bottle, drawing a heavy swig. What had I gotten myself into? I didn't want to hear this.

"'We can test your reach and my flexibility', she says."

I fought the images of he and I testing those very limits together.

"So, the whole damn thing was her idea from the start, really. I had never even considered inter-species intercourse before her."

Lovely. Must. Drink. More.

"And then Alenko comes back and suddenly, she wants to be friends. She used me for sex, for months!"

I took another big swig.

"And now I'm completely ruined for turian women forever."

The wine burned my lungs, sending me into a coughing and sputtering fit. Garrus whacked my back a few times, taking the bottle so I wouldn't drop it. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Good", I managed to squeeze out hoarsely.

He grew silent while I caught my breath, taking a few swigs of his own from the nearly empty bottle. His arm laid over the back of the bench and he turned to me, "Jay, what I said, about your…ah…I'm sorry if I – "

"Garrus, it's fine", I waved off the apology. Part of me didn't want him to take it back, "It's nice to get a complement once in a while."

He smiled and took another drink, setting the empty bottle down on the ground, "Well, you do have a very nice body, if I may say so."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "You may."

His soft laughter, god it made me hot, "It's, ah, it's a good thing the Normandy doesn't allow you to go walking around in these, what are they? Jeans and tank-tops?" I nodded. "I might never get anything done."

"What would you get done?"

_Jeezus! Why did I say that?_

His expression was pensive for a moment, and I thought I might have blown it, made things awkward between us. The talon that was draped over the back of the bench slid up and worked through my black hair. My heart thudded in my chest so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"I learned to appreciate a lot of things about human women", he growled, nearly sending me into convulsions, "The scent of hair", his talon slid down over my pale, bare shoulder, "soft skin", I looked up into his eyes just in time to take in the fact that he was actually _leaning_ towards me. "Lips."

_Oh, shit. How do you kiss a turian? Hell, I don't know, does not compute! FUCK!_

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I decided to take my chances and just wing it. Sure he had plates for lips and sharp teeth that could bite my tongue off, but he had done this plenty of times before with Shepard, right? Ew, don't think about that.

Wait!

My hands shot up to his chest, holding him only centimeters from my lips, "Wait. Garrus, let's get one thing straight, here." He leaned back, confused. "I don't wanna be your rebound girl. If that is what this is about, then you can go sleep with Kelly, 'cause this human isn't interested in just blowing off steam with you."

I honestly have no idea what brought that speech on. Sleeping with Garrus Vakarian had been my hottest fantasy, my wettest dream since I was twenty years old! Seven _long_ years! Why would I go and ruin it when I was so close to having everything I had ever wanted?

His brow plates furrowed at me, clearly he was offended. "Jay, I know most humans aren't like turians. I wasn't expecting us to sleep together and then simply part ways. We're going to be working together every day in the Main Battery, ya know."

"So, what? Shepard breaks up with you, and you immediately decide to start something up with me in the same night?"

_What are you doing? Shut up! Shut the hell up and fuck his turian brains out you stupid, drunk – _

His chuckle was actually a relief, "I didn't even know you felt this way about it, Jay."

_Yeah, me either._

"And if it makes you feel any better, Shepard and I were never 'together', per se. It just pisses me off that she would suddenly drop me off the known galaxy because _he_ decided to show back up. You know he dumped her on Horizon?"

I felt my eyes roll in my head, but I couldn't stop them. He must have learned that as a human signal for annoyance, because he immediately grabbed my hand, "Alright, I'm sorry. No more Shepard/Alenko talk. I promise."

"No, it's okay. I – I want you to be able to talk to me about this kind of stuff, that's what friends do. I'm just…"

"Jealous?"

I snickered, "Maybe a little."

"Why?"

"Are you kidding? Commander Shepard? My fucking role model and everyone who I ever want to be? Why in hell would you ever be interested in me after having her?"

He snorted, "Are _you_ kidding? Jay, I've had my eyes on you since C-Sec!"

I blinked at him, "What?"

"True, it was always in a 'Man, if she were only a turian' kind of way, but yeah. I've always, how does your kind say it? Had the _hots_ for you?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "You've got to be joking."

"Nope. You remember that day you spilled the water all over my desk?"

"And I was humiliated, and wanted to die?"

"You started frantically pushing important documents aside, scattering them across the floor and wiping up the water with the sleeve of your uniform."

"Again, dying inside."

"All I could think about was ripping your pants down to your knees and fucking your brains out right then and there on that wet desk. I have no idea why, something about your ass just sets me off, always has. I still think about it sometimes in the shower."

The temperature of the Citadel was suddenly scorching. Man, it was hot! I was becoming aware that his face grew ever closer to mine as he spoke, and his breath was now beating against my lips. Just the sound of his incredibly sexy voice, and the combination of the dirty talk, was almost enough to send me into full on multiple orgasms sitting right there on that bench.

"I wanted you to", I breathed bravely.

He looked taken aback, "You did?"

My lids were heavy as I nodded, every inch of me was on fire. His lip plates gently grazed mine as he spoke, reaching into my black hair to scratch gently at my scalp. His next words could have killed me.

"I've been hard all damn day. I only called you 'kid' to remind myself that I had once been your superior." His teeth nipped my chin and my breath hitched, "Then you commanded my attention with that little 'I'm your ranking officer' speech, and I nearly fucking came all over the console."

His tongue slid across my collar bone, and I almost yelled his name. "Garrus", escaped my lips in a little above a whisper, eliciting a growl from deep in his chest as he buried his face in my neck.

"Spirits, I love it when you say my name."

"Alright, alright, break it up. Get a room you two." The human C-Sec officer sounded more amused than irritated as he approached us.

Garrus leaned away from me again, waving a hand to the officer, "We know, we're going, we – "

His eyes widened, staring over my shoulder. I looked back and humiliation struck me dead in the face. The C-Sec officer who was reprimanding my former Security Director and I for inappropriate displays of public affection was also a former apprentice of the academy.

And he had worked with both of us.


	3. The Other Shoe

**So, as you can tell, I am a big fan of ****_the build_****. All that sexual tension, bursting at the seams! Things finally ignite in this chapter, promise. I'm just not a writer that can do PWP work. Nor am I very good at short one-shots, apparently.**

* * *

"Well, well, well. Jasia Vu and Officer Vakarian", the blonde C-Sec officer remarked amusingly, crossing his arms in his chest and resting into a hip.

"Adams", I slurred.

Garrus rubbed his eyelids beneath his talons with a sigh, "Look, Adams, I know how this looks - "

" - Ya know, I had a lot riding on that pool", Adams interjected, "and I lost. I think the two of you own me some hard credits. 2,000 to be exact."

Garrus and I answered in unison, "Pool?"

"We all had a big pool going a while back that you two were fucking each other during apprenticeship. Of course, without any proof, I lost everything when you left for N-school. Damn you, Vu!"

Oh, man, this guy was killing my buzz. "Not that it's any of your damn business, _Carl,_ but we weren't."

"Uh-huh. Well, I've got you all over at least ten different security cameras around the Citadel making quite the scene. With evidence like that, I don't think it would be all that difficult to dig up old files. Maybe seek some delayed repercussions for your actions?"

Garrus perked up, "What file? What the hell are you talking about?"

"An investigation file was opened on the two of you right before she left, _Sir_. But when you left to join the Normandy, the file went cold. Nothing ever became of it. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into if _someone_ found out about this? Vu, you might get stripped of your N7 status."

What a snarky little shitfaced weasel. I already knew exactly where this was going.

"What do you want, Adams?" I asked, dripping with distain.

He leaned against the nearest wall casually and smiled, "I want my money, Vu. _With_ interest. You've been gone for what, five years? With the academy for two. I guess we can subtract a year since the file wasn't opened until your second term, though. I'll be nice and let you have that."

"How much?"

"Oh, I don't know. I think 10,000 should cover it."

Garrus erupted, "10,000 credits! Are you out of your damn mind?" He tugged at my arm, lifting me easily to my feet, "Come on, Jay. He's got nothing on us but old rumors and hearsay. There's no way anything could ever become of this."

He started to drag me away. Some primal cave-woman response had me actually enjoying the sensation of him jerking me around. He was so strong, easily flinging me like a rag doll without effort. My mind immediately began to race through the dozens of erotic fantasies I had cultured over the years: us in the shower, up against the wall; us on his desk in his C-Sec office, yep I had created that one as well; and the newest addition, us in the Main Battery, me on the console. I shivered and felt my knees give a little. Garrus came to an abrupt stop, and I peer around his large arm to see that Adams had impeded our path.

"You sure you wanna take that risk, Vakarian?" ,he asked confidently. "You could lose your slot on the Normandy."

"Commander Shepard makes the calls about who stays and goes on her team, not a C-Sec Investigations Board", my turian growled.

"And how will your commander react when she discovers she's recruited your old fuck buddy onto her team? And your former _student_, no less. Such a distraction could surely impact the mission."

Without so much as a hesitation for thought, Garrus released my arm and shoved his talons beneath the officer's neck with a deep snarl. He flung him into the nearby wall, bearing his sharp teeth. "You always were a little shit, Adams."

I glanced down at the frantic kicking of thighs dangling in the air. Garrus had Adams pinned a foot off the ground with a single arm.

_Holy damn, forget that little shit and fuck me against the wall! Now!_

"2,000 credits, and you keep your damn mouth shut or so help me, I will hunt you down and make it look like an accident." He released his hold on the man who went scrambling away, panic-stricken and practically wetting his big-boy uniform.

And speaking of wet…

Garrus turned back to face me, and in a single leap, my legs were wrapped tightly around his thing waist, lips pressed hard against his surprisingly pliable mouth plates. I tasted his rough tongue against mine for a second before I felt his hands pulling me back.

"Maybe we should head back to the Normandy", he said hoarsely.

My lips and tongue were exploring the soft flesh along his neck, making him shutter, "Let's just get a room here. It's closer."

His moans made it known that his next decision was not an easy one, "I'd rather we didn't risk anything else…ah…that could cause another…mhmn…incident like that one…Spirits."

His talons dug into the skin on my ass even through the thick bluejeans I was wearing. The pain was exquisite. Don't get me wrong, I'm no masochist, but something about his rough touch just sent vibrations through me.

"Ah…Jay, please. Let's just – go back to the ship", he begged, making no real effort to stop my actions. After a few moments he seemed to gather some semblance of self-control, and pried me off of him.

I whimpered at the loss of contact, but he was right. The last thing I wanted was for either of us to lose what we had worked so hard to get, and all over a ridiculous rumor started over five years ago. Not once in the two years that I served at the academy did Garrus or I do anything even remotely close to warrant an investigation. Someone was a jealous asshole, but to this day, I don't know who.

I took a deep breath, gathering my senses with a nod, "Yeah, okay, you're right. Let's go. In a _hurry_."

He chuckled and began leading the way. We maintained a comfortable distance back to the ship, making sure to give off the appearance of two completely plutonic crewmates simply returning to their vessel. Neither of us saw Adams again on the way out. I couldn't help but wonder if he would actually follow through with his threats.

"I'll get those credits to Adams before sun up tomorrow", I said as we stood in the airlock for decontamination protocols.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll get those credits to him. This is all my fault, anyhow."

"Whatever, Garrus, it takes two to tango."

The doors hissed open and we entered the hull, making a quick right to head for the elevators.

"What's a tango? And anyhow, the file was opened on _me_ for supposedly fraternizing with an apprentice. You were my student. I had no business looking at you the way that I did. It's probably what started the investigation in the first place. You were just caught in the middle, that's all."

The thought of him watching my every move at C-Sec with me non-the-wiser, fantasizing about me in the shower, it all gave me chills. Good chills. We slid into the elevator, and he pressed the button for the Crew Deck numerous times before the doors finally slid shut, starting our painfully slow decent.

"I'm paying half, Vakarian, and that's final."

I'm not too ashamed to admit that my new sense of authoritative power gave me a bit of a thrill, not that I would abuse it too terribly. Just enough to get me hot and him bothered. He shot me a defiant glance, which I returned, still wobbling slightly on my jelly legs. The impossibly slow elevator was still idling along, clearly unaware that it was interfering with my ability to get laid. Man, how long had it been? Three years? _Four_? Yikes.

Garrus turned on me, blue eyes locked. A hand shoved me into the metal wall with a _clank_.

"Cocky, aren't we?", he growled, hovering in my personal space. Not that I minded.

"No…", I retorted, sliding my hand downward and quickly bypassing the long fabric of his shirt which had kept him hidden from public view all night. My fingers dipped beneath the elastic band of his pants, allowing me access to a tantalizingly impressive girth. I squeezed softly, eliciting a gasp and a groan from him, "…but _you_ sure are."

The lift finally dinged. Unsure whether there might still be crewmates aboard, we separated quickly before the doors slid apart. I rubbed my fingertips together discretely, wishing I had more knowledge about turian anatomy. His cock had been slippery, self lubricated with a coating that left my hand shiny and friction-less.

_Just don't shake anyone's hand on the way to your quarters, and everything will be fine._

His delicate appendage also had something else I couldn't get out of my head if I tried; it was _ribbed_. Smooth little ridges and bumps lined the long shaft in a way most human woman could only hope to experience from a battery operated boyfriend.

If he didn't fuck me soon, I might pass out.

The doors opened to a quiet, empty deck, and we ventured out. I made the attempt to jet obliquely across the hallway toward the quarters, but a large hand grabbed my forearm and pulled me in the opposite direction.

Toward the Main Battery. Holy hell, we were going to do it on the console!

My brows furrowed in a moment of confusion when we took an unexpected detour toward the Med Bay. The green orb at the center of the door spun and glowed while Garrus punched in the correct code, gaining us access. He released my arm as we stepped inside, and began rummaging through cabinets.

"What are you doing?", I asked.

"Any known allergies to dextro-amino acids?"

"Ah…well, I'm not sure. You're my first – I've never had the opportunity to really find out."

He retrieve a small sterile pack of syringes and a vial of fluids before starting toward the door, "Best be prepared, just in case."

I followed hesitantly. All the clinical talk had sort of killed my hard on. Well, maybe not _killed_; softened slightly.

"What's the risk?" I asked, stepping into the Main Battery behind him.

The doors closed behind us.

"EDI?",he spoke toward the ceiling.

"Yes, Garrus."

"Lock the doors, and I want all surveillance discontinued for the next…", his voice trailed off and he looked over at me. "…eight hours."

I know I must have jumped where I was standing.

"Consider it done, Garrus. Logging you out."

My arms crossed in my chest, "Eight hours, huh? Now, who's cocky?"

The sheer energy of his slow approach was enough to reignite my nerves. That, and the predatory look in his eyes. "I've got seven years worth of suppressed sexual tension with you, Jay. Turians don't deal with tension very well. We have to find other…_outlets_."

I hadn't realized I was backing up, and I could barely hear his deep seductive tones over the pounding in my ears. My retreat met its end when my back pressed up against the cool metal of the locked doors behind me. There was nowhere to go, not that I wanted to leave, but the thought of being trapped in a room with a lust-hungry turian really did it for me. Strong arms surrounded me. He smelled so good. Earthy, like sandal wood and engine oil. It was amazing.

"Don't be nervous", he whispered.

I smirked confidently, lifting a brow at him, "I'm not."

"Then I suggest you get your tight little ass over to that table, and clean up the mess you made."

Maybe it was the booze, but it took me while to figure out what the hell he was talking about. Then it hit me, white hot between my thighs. He was replaying the 'water spilling on the desk' incident from C-Sec. Our missed opportunity for mind-blowing sex right before I shipped off to N-School and lost all semblance of a sex life. There was that one time with Chaffer after a Sim Mission, but…ugh, I'd rather not remember.

Finally, I smiled up at him, speaking in my best take-me-now voice, "Yes, Officer Vakarian, Sir."

I placed my hands to his chest and gingerly pushed him back, just far enough that I could escape beneath his arm. A low rumble, like a purr was building in his chest. I assumed it was a good sign. As I walked slowly toward his weapons table, I made sure to shimmy my hips and accentuate the movements in my ass. I could feel his eyes burning into me, making me red hot. When I reached the table, I paused for a moment before flinging my hand across the contents of the surface, scattering them loudly along the floor. I had planned to make some sort of feigned, school-girl comment of surprise over my clumsy act, but a hand was in my back before I had time to think, pressing me forcefully down onto the table.

My arms spread along the cool surface, and my head was turned onto its side, every part of me flush with the table. From behind, I felt the rigid shaft of my turian Security Director press and grind against me through our restrictive clothing. His torso covered my back and I felt his hot breath in my ear.

"Call me that again", he growled. The rumbling was growing louder.

"Officer Vakarian", I breathed, fogging the table.

A snarl met with a sharp bite on my shoulder and I moaned, bucking my hips back into his length.

"Garrus, I can't take much more of this, its torture. I need you, _now_."

No man had ever reduced me to begging before. Damn, it was hot!

He nipped at my earlobe, sending electricity down my spine, "Then tell me what you want."

"Fuck me! I want you to fuck me, Officer Vakarian!", I answered without the slightest hesitation.

Hands began yanking at my jeans, unable to pull them free over my ass. He growled with frustration and yanked harder.

"Buttons!" I yelled, "You have to undo the buttons and zipper."

Clearly, Shepard had never worn jeans around him, but I tried not to think about that now. All I wanted to think about was us, he and I, no one else. My wet dream come true. The same heavy hands reached around, fumbling with metal and fabric without success. All the while, Garrus growled and thrust into me, heightening my arousal to the point of insanity. Suddenly, he released a frustrated howl and grabbed me tight by the upper arms, twirling me around to slam my back into the wall near his weapons table. I hit the hard surface with an _'oof'_ interrupting my frantic panting. He continued to work at the simple fastening system of my pants, grinding me into the wall with his hips.

My hands traveled downward, "Here, let me help."

He smacked me away with a click of his mandibles, something he use to do at the academy when I had messed up. It made me wet then, and just as wet now.

"It'll take two seconds if you just let me do it", my hands persisted.

With shocking ease, he snatched both my wrists and slammed them into the wall above me, pinning them firmly out of the way. I gasped, completely aroused by his rough, turian handling of me. I already knew it wouldn't be a sweet caress, that much I had learned through a couple of friends with turian boyfriends back in N-School. But my own fantasies had been less than gentle, so this scenario was absolute perfection. If that makes me sick, well, I plead guilty.

The anticipation was driving me out of my damn mind, "Garrus! Just let me – "

_Rip._

"Damnit, Vakarian!"

A satisfied turian grin shadowed across his clicking mandibles as the fabric tore loosely from my hips. I started to scold him further, but in another instant, I was thrown back down face-first onto the table. My hands reached up and gripped white-knuckled at the edge of the surface while he hurriedly yanked the remaining barriers down my hips, exposing my 'tight little ass'. Relatively speaking in human terms my ass wasn't little at all, but as long as Garrus liked it, I was good with that. I felt him pause for a moment, cupping both my cheeks with taloned hands. The purring sound in his chest was a full-furry ship engine by this point. I didn't know what the hell he was doing back there, but I had had enough waiting.

My right fist pounded the table in tantrum, "Gar-rus!"

"Just be patient!", he snapped, "I want to enjoy this."

"That's what I'm trying to – AH!"

Hot, thick tension prodded my entrance, apply a slow and agonizingly pleasurable pressure. Just when I thought I had surely taken him all in, he pressed forward another inch. Inch by breathtaking inch until I could feel his groin plates pressed flush against me. His ribbed length stretched and filled like I had never experienced before. With only him entering me I already knew I was also ruined for my own species forever. His hands found leverage on my hips, pulling me tight against him. We shuddered in unison, pausing to enjoy the new sensation.

"Oh my god."

"Spirits."

Talons dug into my hips, fingers squeezing soft flesh.

"Sa-say it", he gasped.

I was panting, sweating on the table, "…Oh my god?"

"No, the – the other thing."

A smile spread across my lips, "…Officer Vakarian."

He pulled out and thrust back into me, hard.

"AH!", I yelped in pain and pleasure, he was so much, but I wanted more. More and more. "Officer Vakarian!"

Another quick pound.

"Ah-Ah-ficer-Vakarian!"

He groaned and picked his own rhythm, slamming deep heated thrusts into me. I cried out with each harsh _thud_ of flesh on turian plates. It was more incredible than anything I had ever dreamt of.

Mind blowing.

Unbelievable.

"Shhhh", I heard Garrus hiss behind me. "The whole Citadel's going to hear."

"I…CAN'T…SHUSH…AH…OH…FUCK…GARRUS!"

A deep howl ripped through his gravely chest. His rhythm became erratic and choppy. His talons broke into my skin. After a few moments, I felt his weight relax onto me, chest heaving with his heavy panting. I may not have been satisfied, but I definitely wasn't disappointed. Besides, we had eight hours, right?

Here's where some of that research would have come in handy, something that my friends had neglected to share about their turian men. After no more than thirty seconds of rest, Garrus was upright and pumping into me again. I know now that this kind of stamina is typical for turians, but at the time, it shocked the hell out of me. A pleasant shock, of course.

He withdrew suddenly, pulling me upright and onto my untrustworthy feet. A hand spun me by my shoulder. Arms gripped beneath my thighs, pulling me up against him, my legs wrapped around his waist. In a half second, I was seated on the edge of the glowing console. The glass paneling was hot beneath my ass and there was a series of frantic _beeps_ coming from the buttons my cheeks were pressing.

Garrus reached down and flicked the power off. "Before we set off the missiles", he quipped.

My hands found a soft place beneath his fringe, causing him to groan and close his eyes. "I thought we already had", I whispered.

His blue eyes looked at me, "You have no idea what you do to me."

One hand grabbed each of my ass checks, yanking me forward to envelope his ever-erect, turian cock. My head flew backward of its own volition. Fireworks. The new angle was incredible, his pleasant ridges rubbing all the right places while our personal lubrications mixed and created unimaginable sensations. Between his pistoning, I was vaguely aware of hands pulling my tanktop over my head. At least he hadn't ripped it. My bra was removed as well while I moaned and keened. Rocking my hips to meet his every move. Blinding heat was stirring in my core, I was so close. So very close. A hot, raspy tongue licked my tingling nipple, and I was completely undone. Unraveled. Shot to the moon. Ecstasy. Euphoria.

As I began to come down from my high, I realized a large hand was clasped tightly over my mouth. I had never been a screamer before. Maybe it was the booze or maybe he was just that fucking good. I now know it was the latter, still is.

* * *

**Hang in there, I'm not done yet! Well, sort of, but…you know what I mean! Reviews are much appreciated! I'd love to know what you think of this first-person experience. Gotta admit, I'm having some fun. **


	4. Hush-Hush

I had completely lost all sense of time and space, entirely entranced in enveloping erotic bliss. My turian's incredible alien stamina gave us no need for pause. We rolled and crashed over every inch of the Main Battery, writhing and wailing like banshees, sleeping only when exhaustion and sexual high had us both panting against the cool floor. A short nap, then we were back at it. He came, then I came, we came together, I came again, throwing him into another climax, on and on. Amazing. We never had to stop if we didn't want to. Spirits bless turian physiology! And the best part? I clearly had no significant allergies to dextro-amino acids. We could fuck like rabbits without a care in the world. He couldn't get me pregnant due to DNA incompatibility, and sexually transmitted diseases had been eradicated over two decades ago. Lucky me.

There we were, napping on the floor, lulled into a pleasant, satisfied sleep by the low hum and vibrations of the engines. I woke up first this time. Every other time it had been him, scratching, nipping, spreading my thighs with his to plunge in deep and wake me with a gasp. I must have finally worn him out. What time was it? I parted my heavy eyelids and pulled a few strands of sticky raven hair off my face. I had fallen asleep on my stomach, sleeping like a baby on the harsh floor where most humans would toss and turn. Pushing my hands into to the floor, my elbows shook as I raised myself into sitting, wincing at the sharp soreness between my legs. Hopefully the crew wouldn't notice my awkward gait for the next couple of days…or weeks. Garrus was a few feet away, snoozing on his back, head to the side to accommodate for his long fringe. I had definitely developed a kinky fetish for that weird, alien crown of his, and he seemed to like it. My eyes traced his naturally armored body. His carapace. The overlapping plates of his chest which peaked to create a sharp, sexy ridge down the middle of his upper torso. His strong, narrow waist, relatively exposed and unprotected. I had discovered in the last few hours just how vulnerable it made him, too. It was one of his most sensitive erogenous zones, next to that massive, thick, blue…_what the fuck?_

My eyes searched for his cock, but only found plates, hips, legs, and torso. I rubbed my eyes and squinted at him again. Nightmare, it had to be. A horrible, sex-induced nightmare. Garrus began to stir in his resting place, and I scooted over closer to him, realizing as I touched his warm plates that this definitely was _not _a dream. He sighed and opened his blue eyes a crack, flicking his mandibles in a sleepy turian grin.

"Ah, Spirits", he chuckled with a tired rumble, "you're going to kill me."

I leaned over him and kissed his scars, "Hey there, handsome."His talons crept around my waist, pulling me closer. I hated to sound like a complete idiot, but I just had to know. "Uh, hey Garrus?"

He nuzzled at my arm, that low purr starting again in his chest, "Mmhm?"

"Where's your ah…?", I pointed a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of his M.I.A. member.

He blinked up at me for a second, then laughed. Yep. I felt like an idiot.

"Palavan is covered in radiation, Jay. My people can't afford to have our bits and pieces just hanging out everywhere all the time. They're protected."

I turned and examined the area between his thighs, making out the smallest slit in the middle of his groin. "So, it just…retracts?"

"Locked away until I need it."

I smirked, "I see. So, are you telling me there's a naked woman resting her bare breasts against your chest, and you don't need it?"

"We've been fucking for five hours! Forgive me if my brain is bogarting some of the bloodflow for a while."

"You promised me eight, Vakarian! Don't get stingy on me now."

His flanged laughter filled my ears as he rolled me onto my back in one easy move. A long leg pushed between my thighs, opening me up for the other leg to join. I looked down just in time to see the slit in his groin separate and shift apart, pushing his concealed weapon outward and ready for use. It wasn't nearly as alien in appearance as I had expected. The long, thick shaft was thicker at the base, coming to what looked like a sharp, pointed, humanoid glans. Fortunately, the daggered attribute was actually soft and delightfully sensitive. The sheer size of it, which was apparently considered "average" among turians, qualified as 'porn star status' among humans. Not to mention that delicious curve which drew it upward rather than straight out, perfect for hitting the elusive human G-spot. Turian women didn't have that, according to Garrus. So when he found mine, he thought for a moment he had hurt me, but I eagerly reassured him.

Like I said, _ruined_ for my own species.

His lip plates pressed against mine, slipping his raspy tongue into my mouth just our bodies lined up for the next round. I tingled all over with anticipation, vaguely aware of the tight hunger grumbling in my stomach. He had just made a slow, spine arching entrance when…

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Yo, Vakarian!"

Garrus and I shared a panicked glance before he answered, "Ah, yeah Jack?"

"Crew's heading back onto the Normandy. I suggest you and Lieutenant Vu wrap things up before Joker gets onboard and overrides the security protocols you had EDI put in place." Her voice was muffled behind the locked door, but the amusement in it could not be hidden.

He dropped his face into my shoulder with a grumble, "Thanks, Jack."

"I got your back, man. You owe me about five hours worth of sleep, by the way. Neither pegged either of you for a screamer before."

"THANKS, Jack!", he yelled.

The sound of fading laughter echoed through the door.

"And you still owe me three hours", I said with a buck of my hips.

He growled and nipped my shoulder, pulling out slowly with a hiss. It occurred to me that working side-by-side with Garrus was going to be even more difficult than I could have ever imagined. Just standing in the Main Battery was definitely going to get me wet from now on. We dressed quickly, well, mostly. I had shreds of fabric left for jeans.

_Damnit, Vakarian. _

Luckily, the quarters were only a short, well planned sprint across the Crew Deck. After a long shower, I changed quickly into my N7 issued Alliance uniform and joined the rest of the crew casually in the mess for some much needed nourishment. I hoped beyond hope that no one else would be wise to my marathon night of unbelievable inter-species sex. Jack knew, who else had…_heard_? After procuring some slop that vaguely resembled scrambled eggs with cheese and a side of burnt bacon, I took a seat at the table amongst the chattering crew. Most of them were reminiscing about the drunken night of dancing and carrying on at Purgatory. I prayed none of them would bring up the fact that they had seen Garrus and I leave together.

A tray hit the table hard, sloshing breakfast slop over the edges. A keenly grinning Jack plopped down beside me, eyeing me with amusement. "Hey there, cowgirl. Nice gun-slinger walk."

I snickered and bowed my head, poking at the yellow fluff on my tray, "Ha! Yeah."

She leaned close and whispered, "It's not chicken eggs."

I grimaced, "It's not? What is it?"

"You don't wanna know."

Maybe I wasn't that hungry after all. "Hey Jack, thanks for, ah, the head's up."

"Don't get soft on me, Vu. Garrus is my friend, we've been through some shit together. He's got my back, and I've got his. If your pussy footin' around gets him in trouble, I'll use your ass for target practice. Got it?" Normally, I would have pulled rank for an insubordination like that, but for some reason, I really liked that biotic bitch. Besides, I figured I owed her one. "Shep really jilted the poor guy. Can't say I'm too fuckin' happy with her at the moment, but she's my friend too. That's about fifty notches above where you stand right now, so I'll let it slide. So far, you and I, we're cool. Just be careful where you throw that pussy around."

With that, she rose from her seat and left, not bothering to take her mystery breakfast with her. I shook my head with a chuckle. A moment later, the tray was pushed aside, making way for another one with a strange, multicolored, bread-like thing situated in the center.

"What is _that_?", the sexy, flanged voice asked.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Garrus sat next to me, eyeing his dish, "I have no idea." I shrugged in agreement. "Well, after the energy expenditure I experienced last night, I'll take what I can get", he commented in a hushed voice, taking a bite of the…_stuff_.

I scrunched my face, "I have some energy bars in my pack. Maybe I'll live off those until our next stop at the Citadel."

Shepard and Alenko ventured into the mess. She made eye contact with me, walking over to pat me on the shoulder with a grin. "Get settled in comfortably, Vu?"

Garrus shot me a turian smirk before taking another bite of his food.

"Yes, Commander, I'm very comfortable on the Normandy."

"Glad to hear it. Let me know if anyone gives you any trouble, especially this one", she smacked Garrus playfully on the arm. He forced what I could recognize as an uncomfortable smile.

"Vakarian? Nah, we go way back. I'll keep him in line."

"Oh really? From where?" The hesitance in her voice bothered me somewhat. Shepard was my role model, my idol. The last thing I wanted was some big, awkward, inter-species love triangle.

Garrus elbowed me casually, "Jay was my C-Sec apprentice back at the academy. You've got yourself a good First Lieutenant here, Commander." He raised a brow plate at me and lowered his voice, "_Real _good."

I shot him a warning glance. _Shut the hell up, Vakarian! _"Thanks for the reference."

"Well, I'm glad to know you'll have someone on the ship you're familiar with. You'll be working in the Main Battery, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good", she turned to my secret turian lover and cleared her throat, "Garrus, could I have a word with you a bit later?"

"Certainly, Commander."

"Meet me in my cabin around lunchtime."

_Uh oh._

Garrus cleared his throat, "Yes, Ma'am."

Alenko came by the table, eliciting a glare from the turian before he and Shepard walked toward Dr. T'Soni's office.

"Shit", I whispered.

"What?"

"You think she knows?"

He finished off the last bite of his breakfast before rising to his feet, "Frankly, Jay, I really don't give a damn."


	5. My Acquiesce

**Alright, alright! I admit I have an unhealthy addiction to plots. Once I get wrapped into them, I just can't stop! This was going to be a "short", maybe one or two chapter story, but I just can't help myself! Must. Continue!**

* * *

The day passed slowly, and no one besides Jack seemed to be any the wiser to our escapades the night before. Now that the alcohol haze had lifted, and logical sense returned, I was fully self-conscious and concerned about my new crewmates finding out. 'Ship Slut' was another name I didn't want to give myself, and having slept with a teammate on the first night of my arrival, it made the name an easy stick should people find out. No one but Shepard knew my history with Garrus, which would make it seem even more like I had jumped on top of the first person to smile at me. True, I had practically thrown myself at my former Security Director, but it wasn't that simple. There was history there, chemistry. That didn't make me a slut, right?

I mulled over my thoughts while I worked at the back end of the battery. Getting my hands good and dirty always made me feel better. Garrus left around lunchtime to meet up with Shepard, and based upon the smell wafting in from the mess, I decided to skip lunch. I was on a roll with the heavy weapon upgrade I was installing, and mystery meat wasn't nearly enticing enough to pull me away. My black hair was pulled back into an oily ponytail, and my hands, arms, and face were smudged over with engine oil like streaks of war paint. Had it been any other guy, I might be embarrassed by my appearance, but Garrus had seen me elbow deep in mud, soaked like a soggy dog in the rain during recruitment training. The memory of him shouting orders over me while I drug my skinny ass through the obstacle course makes me hot even to this day.

He had helped me put on some good, lean muscle in the weight room, taught me how to use a gun, and mentored me on the ever-boring, bureaucratic, bullshit, nonsense that was C-Sec. I'd never tell him this, but the academy was only my backup in case I didn't make it in N-School. I had already been recommended when I signed up for apprenticeship, but two years was a long time to sit around and wait until they shipped me off. So, I spent it doing something productive. Now that I was thinking back on it, Garrus Vakarian was the best mentor I had ever had. He wasn't just a ridiculous crush or a sexual fantasy long waiting to be realized. I respected him, and that was important, no matter what my crewmates chose to believe.

_[Ah, First Lieutenant?]_

Joker's voice echoed into the room, making me jump and bang the back of my head beneath the open, metal siding of the weapon system I was working on. I rubbed the sore spot with a groan, "Yeah?"

[_I've just received some pretty serious news. You and Garrus should probably come take a listen to this. Like, now._]

"Vakarian is speaking with Commander Shepard in her quarters. I'll be right up."

_[He had just left when I contacted the Commander.]_

"Alright, I'll let him know. Thanks, Joker."

_[I'll see ya.]_

His voice was grave, I didn't like the sound of it. I wasn't sure why he would ask Garrus to come along, but while I waited for his return I decided to clean some of the grease and oil from my hands. The doors hissed open a few minutes later and a tired-looking turian entered, scanning me over with a grin.

"You don't waste any time, do you?", he asked, crossing his arms in his chest.

I snickered, wiping at a few of the smudges on my arm, "You really have to ask?"

He laughed, "You smell like motor oil. I like it."

"Save it for later, big guy. We're wanted on deck."

I lead the way out the doors and he followed, "Really? Why?"

"Not sure. Joker received some sort of transmission, said he needed to see the both of us, pronto."

We made our way to the CIC, Garrus at a long-legged walk, and me at a short jog just to keep up. Ahead in the cockpit, Shepard and Alenko were already speaking to Joker. Jeezus, that guy really was a pussy-whipped lost puppy! The poor Commander probably couldn't even wipe her ass without him hanging onto her. I was glad to know Garrus and I could have two separate brains between us rather than being fused at the hip. Being involved with a guy like Alenko would make me nuts!

"I may not be very good at reading human expressions, but none of you are inspiring confidence in me right now", Garrus mentioned as we approached.

"Alright, we're all here, Joker, let's hear it", the Commander said.

"Brace yourselves", the pilot responded, pressing a button on his console, "Although, I don't think it will help."

The five of us watched in horror, unable to speak as the transmission played back. Every nightmare we had shared was becoming a heart-wrenching reality before our eyes. I felt a large hand brush mine and squeeze. I returned his gesture as we watched our homes burn. Both Earth and Palaven had been hit by Reaper forces within the last few hours. Countless numbers were killed. No, slaughtered. Alliance and turian forces were dropping like flies, completely helpless against the sentient beings attacking without mercy. The transmission was cut, leaving behind only white static, and the echo of panicked screams echoing in our heads. We all stared at the fuzzy screen for a long while before Joker finally cut it off.

"Told you", he said grimly.

Alenko threw his hands in tantrum, "Damnit! No one ever listens until it's too late!"

Garrus released my hand with a scoff, "Yeah. You listened real well back on Horizon, _friend_."

"You got something you wanna say, _Vakarian_?"

"Both of you can it!", Shepard interjected, "We have more important things to worry about right now than who did what a year ago!"

I was too incensed to speak. My home was burning and we were light years away, unable to serve and protect, hiding in a dark pocket of the galaxy while all our friends and families perished by the thousands. It was a nightmare.

Joker attended to a beeping sound on his console, "Message coming through from the Council for you, Commander. Patching it through to your comm room."

"I'll update you all as soon as I'm done with them", she said as she left, "back to work, crew."

Garrus and I worked quietly in our separate corners, awaiting news from the Commander about what our next move would be. My turian shipmate was brooding quietly. I liked to think it was over the attack on his planet and not his recent interaction with Alenko, but true to form, I didn't pry. I concentrated on my work, letting the rumble of engines, and the texture of oil and grit sooth my raw nerves.

The wrench slipped in my hand, smashing my finger between a couple of gears. I shook my throbbing digits in the air, cursing profusely. I had no idea I was teetering so dangerously close to the edge of snapping like I did, and I was never one to throw tantrums, but maybe it was what I needed. My leg flew out and kicked my tool kit, sending a barrage of metal flying across the floor at a deafening volume. I slammed the lid shut on the weapon siding, kicking the edge with a shout before slamming my fist into the wall. It was a miracle I didn't break my knuckles. The pain only further instigated my fit. I began kicking tools across the floor, yelling and screaming profanities at the top of my lungs. Tears burned at my eyes and tightness gripped my chest. I continued flailing until I was panting on my knees, arms resting above me on the cool surface of the wall. A few hot tears finally managed to escape my lids, falling with a splatter onto the floor.

**Warning: This section contains a violent sex scene which may provoke undesirable responses in those who have been victims of sexual assault. Please read at your own risk. Skip ahead to next marked point below if you do not wish to read the scene.**

"If you're done behaving like a Krogan adolescent, I could use some help over here", Garrus hummed calmly from his console.

The judgment in his voice angered me, "Fuck you, Vakarian!"

The sound of his heavy footsteps approached me without pause. I was yanked to standing by my upper arm, nose to nose with his towering frame, "You wanna say that to my face?"

I scowled with a disrespectful sneer and growled through my gritted teeth, "Fuck. You."

The harsh slam of my back into the metal wall forced the air out of my lungs. I coughed, regaining my breath. Two arms trapped me in at either side of my shoulders. Blue, predatory eyes stared wildly back into mine, only inches away. I challenged his glare, but he didn't move, didn't speak, only stared. Asshole. I tried to dip beneath one of his arms, but he moved it lower, following my crouch with his body. I tried to push him away, but he held firm. "FUCK OFF!"

I had never seen him this way before. He was acting like an animal. That familiar purring was rumbling deep in his chest again as he glowered at me, invading my personal space. I pushed my forehead hard into his, "Back. The fuck. Off."

He responded with a gnash of his teeth and a deep, animalistic growl before slamming me harder up against the wall, grinding his armored groin against me. I yelped as the codpiece bruised my pubic bone. I had had enough. To hell with this! My fist flew up between us, catching the underside of his mandible. He groaned and staggered backward, freeing me to retreat in the other direction for a few steps. A foot sliced beneath mine, and I went down, catching myself into a plank. Weight forced me down and I cried out as a collection of sharp pinprick sensations dug into my neck and shoulder. I struggled to free myself from the pain, but he growled and bit harder. Blood trickled down, soaking into my uniform.

I was furious, and unexpectedly aroused. Almost as if he could sense it on me, Garrus drew in a long, deep breath through is nose and hummed another low growl. The vibrations traveled through the sharp teeth latched into me and down my spine, into my core. I felt my muscles relax, submit. Laying my head to rest onto the floor, I let his weight pin me, rather than trying to hold him up as I had been doing. The vibrations in Garrus' chest kicked up a notch in frequency, and he frantically began shoving my pants downward. The task was made much more simple this time due to the elastic banding around the posterior side of my uniform slacks. His teeth kept me pinned to the floor, but I could feel his hands unbuckling the armor around his waist. I heard it _clink_ to the floor in a heavy drop while he snarled and made animalistic sounds against my bleeding flesh. Hands gripped my hips, yanking them upward a couple of inches before his hot length plunged deep into me without mercy. I moaned. Teeth sunk deeper, making me gasp and buck. Tears flowed from my eyes as he pumped, harder and harder with every thrust. Each one sent a quake of pleasurable sensations through me, arguably even better than the night before. My nails scratched at the surface of the floor as his talons dug into my hips. He grunted erotically against my tender skin with every slam of his body against mine, teeth never relenting in their death grip, forcing me to submit to him. Take him. Come for him.

And I did. Explosively.

With the height of my orgasm I could feel the weight of my worries fall away, leaving behind nothing but a state of overwhelming, and deeply satisfied bliss. The tightening grip of his jaws brought me back to reality just as a deep roar forced hot breath onto my neck. His thrusts became staggered, then gradually slower until he had stopped all together. We lay there for a few minutes catching our breath before he pulled his cock, and this teeth, slowly out of me. I hissed at the throbbing ache in my neck and shoulder. Without a word, he rose off of me and replaced his armor. The doors slid open and closed, and he left.

Somewhere, I found the strength to rise from my place, pulling my pants back over my hips before touching a hand to my bleeding bite wound. There was no way this would go unnoticed. I needed to get a shower and a fresh change of clothes before Shepard came to get us.

**Continue reading here:**

I rose to my feet, starting slowly for the door just as Garrus reappeared. We stared at one another for a second, then he approached me. Picking me up by my waist, he carried me to the weapons table and set me gently down on top of it. His hand pulled strands of oily, bloody hair from my neck as he inspected it with worried eyes.

They found their way up to mine when he finally spoke, "Jay, I – "

"Don't", I interrupted. "Don't apologize."

There was no need. I was not bothered by what had transpired. Rough, turian sex was just what I had needed to cool my nerves, and it had worked. I didn't want to hear that he regretted it, because I didn't.

"But I – "

His thought was cut off by the sound of the door opening and closing. A salarian entered the battery, carrying a large medical bag. He scanned me with interest as he approached.

"Ah", he said, nodding in apparent agreement, "Yes, I see your point, Garrus. Must attend to immediately, but not to worry. Have supplies to prevent infection and aid healing. No allergies to dextro-amino acids, you say?"

"No", Garrus confirmed. "Jay, this is Mordin, one of the ship's doctors."

I must have missed meeting him yesterday. "Nice to meet you", I nodded politely, feeling slightly dizzy.

Garrus looked grief-stricken, "I have to…I'll be back."

He retreated, leaving the doctor to attend my wounds. He worked quietly for while, concentrating on his task. After a while he finally spoke, blotting the angry area on my neck with a green ointment, "Fascinating and unexpected compatibility, human and turian mates."

I squinted down at him, "What?"

"Turians naturally aggressive. Take mate through forced submission and dominance rituals. Most humans object. View behavior as assault. Refuse to submit. Friendships ruined. Have seen it before."

I rolled my eyes, "He was just trying to prove how big his manhood is because I insulted him. That's pretty much typical male behavior, no matter what the race. No offense."

Mordin spread the blue contents of another fluid onto a clean gauze pad before stroking it against my skin. It was cool, and felt good to the touch. "None taken, but have to disagree. Turians quite capable of participating in sexual intercourse without ritualistic, bonding behaviors present. Stress relief. Sex common form of recreational therapy for both turian and human species."

"What the hell are you getting at, Doc?", my frustration was peaking, and he spoke to damn fast.

"Ritual commonly initiated under stressful or life-threatening contexts. Sometimes when feeling territorial over another male presence. Depends. Varies situation to situation. However, desire to take mate before they are lost, usual catalyst."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his absurdity, "I told Garrus to go fuck himself, Mordin. I doubt it gave him the desire to take me as his mate."

"Mating driven by hormone responses. Chemical. Somewhat…uncontrollable. Reason most humans view as threat. Most turians attracted to strong personalities. Entices innate drive to dominate. Some bonding rituals result out of lover's quarrel. Not common, but not unheard of."

I finally laughed out loud, "Get outta down, Mordin! Garrus and I have known each other for a long time, and I'm telling you, he was just throwing a tantrum. We got some bad news, had some angry sex, and now we both feel better. Moving on."

The salarian sighed, "See it how you will. Either way, bond mark will remain. Will surely scar. Ritual complete. Mates in turian culture."

* * *

**…What? Okay, so I'm a strange breed of romantic. But, it's Garrus! Can you blame me?!**


	6. Compatibility

**Major fluff alert! Don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

"Jay, wait! Slow down!"

"Why? So, you can _mark_ me again? Just leave me alone for a while, Garrus. I need to think."

I walked as quickly as my relatively short legs could carry me, but he was fast, nipping at my heels with his long strides.

"Just hear me out."

I rubbed at the large bandage covering my 'bond marking', my personal branding to Garrus Vakarian. I felt like cattle. It made me furious. I was headed for the observation deck on the west end. Hopefully I could get some time alone there. Time to mull over what the fuck this all meant. The ridiculously slow door took just long enough for my new mate to step in front of me, impeding my path.

"Please, listen to me."

I couldn't even look at him. Stomping my foot, I turned to head for the other observation deck at the opposite end of the hall. He grabbed my forearm and yanked me into the room, locking the door behind us.

"Goddamnit, Vakarian! You can't just drag me around and man handle me however you want! I'm not your property!" My finger shot toward my bandage, "Oh wait, maybe I _am_!"

"It isn't like that, alright? It's…"

I raised my brows, placing my fists on my hips, "Well?"

He groaned in frustration, taking my hand to _gently_ pull me toward one of the couches. He sat, beckoning me down next to him. I hesitated for a moment before giving in. My arms crossed in my chest and I stared out at the calm, dark, galaxy that was so blissfully unaware of the turmoil that was brewing on Earth, Palavan, or the Normandy.

After a few deep breaths, he started to speak again. "I couldn't help it. I know that sounds crazy, but it's the truth. Something just…snapped. And when you submitted, well, I guess I thought that you…that we…ugh! This is so hard to explain!"

My gaze remained focused on the starry scenery as I responded, "Maybe you should have thought about that before you branded me."

He sighed, resting his head into his hands, "It's not a branding, Jay, it's…ah, more intimate than that."

I finally looked down at him, "Yeah. Mordin told me."

His head popped up, looking me in the eyes, "He did? Then why did you - "

" - Because I had zero percent say in this, Garrus! In human culture, the male _asks_ the female if she wants to bond forever. It's called a proposal. He's only _proposing_ an idea that she may or may not agree to. _If_ she accepts, _then_ he gives her a marking, in the form of a ring of gold around her finger, not a ring of teeth around her neck!"

I stood quickly from my seat, pacing the observatory with clenched fists. Garrus stood behind me, throwing his arms in frustration.

"Gah! I did ask you. And in _turian_ culture, you said yes!"

I stopped to square off with him, tiling my head back at his great height, "You didn't ask me in a way I understood. I thought we were just having rough sex. Besides, you bit me long before I submitted."

"It was only a superficial bite. I barely broke the skin, it would have healed easily without scarring after a few drops of medigel."

I looked away again, "You talk like you've done this before."

He grabbed my hand, "No. No, I haven't. It had never even crossed my mind before…"

"I've been back in your life less than 48 hours. At what point did it have the time to cross your mind, exactly?"

There was a long pause before he answered, "When we were watching helpless as our worlds burned. I don't know, I just…suddenly I felt like I'd do anything to keep from losing you again. I didn't plan it this way. I was…provoked."

I pulled my hands away, "So, I did this?"

"No, that's not what I'm…look, you want out of this?"

I was taken aback. I hadn't expected that question or the reaction that I had to it. I had been so angry by the act itself that I hadn't even paused to consider whether it was something I would actually want had I been given a conventional human choice. We stared at one another's blue eyes for a while before I responded with a small, quiet shake of my head. His hand found mine again and squeezed, and I was sure I heard him release a breath as though he had been holding it the entire time.

"I just don't know what to think of all this, Garrus. By human standards, this was an _extremely_ short courtship."

His brow plates furrowed in confusion, "We were together every day for two years."

"But not as a couple. It's different."

He shook his head, "I don't understand. Turians don't work that way. We function on impulse."

"Obviously."

"If we want something, we go for it. We don't 'beat around the bush' as you humans say. It's a waste of precious time, and with everything that's happened in the last few hours, time is not a luxury we have to squander. By turian standards, we've wasted enough time. C-Sec may not have approved, but had you been my apprentice on a turian vessel, I would have acted on my impulses long ago. Especially if I had known you felt the same way."

I raised an inquisitive brow at him, "Turian superiors are allowed to sleep with their crewmates?"

"We don't hold the same restrictive values you humans do. "

"So", I flopped down onto the couch, suddenly the room was spinning, "So, what does this mean _exactly_? Are we…_married_?"

He sat next to me, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb, "I don't know what that is."

"Well, in human culture, following the proposal, the couple is considered 'engaged' until a wedding can be planned."

"Yeah, my translator has no idea what you're talking about. Those words are picking up as human hums and clicks in my ears."

"It's like a party, a big party where the families of both mates can come together and celebrate their union. There's usually a ceremony where they verbally commit to their life-long bond together, and a lot of food and drinking afterward. The planning can be ridiculously expensive, and stressful, and not really my style. I'm just trying to get my bearings on what it means exactly to 'mate' with a turian."

He scratched the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle, "Sounds like a lot of work. Ah, turians don't really do that. The bonding is a much more intimate exchange. No one even has to know but us. Some turians bond for years before even their closest friends find out."

I felt my nerves relax slightly, and I sighed, "I like the sound of that."

"So you…you want to maintain the mating bond?"

I couldn't help but smile at the hopeful way he was looking at me, "It still feels really sudden to me, but…yes, Garrus. I accept. I want to remain your bond mate."He smiled and clicked his mandibles noisily. I knew it was a bad idea, but I had to ask the question plaguing the thoughts in the back of my mind. "So, if our courtship is considered a long one by your people, ah, what kept you from…_mating_ with Shepard?"

He looked hurt.

_Way to ruin the mood, asshole. _

"Shepard and I, it's complicated. I respect the hell out of her, but I never felt a mate compatibility with her. My hostility toward Alenko has more to do with my pride than anything else. No male appreciates being discarded for another male."

"Mate compatibility? Is that like…love?"

He chuckled, "There you go with all that humming again."

Does not compute, though it pretty well answered my question. In his own, weird, turian kind of way, Garrus was admitting that he loved me. In a way he had never loved another. I still felt like we were flying at high speed, but maybe that was only my human formalities talking. He was right, after all, we were very compatible. Maybe that's why the investigation had been opened in C-Sec. Humans couldn't understand compatibility and utter respect between two organic beings when they saw it. It always had to be distorted into something perverse and wrong. Sure, we had fantasized profusely about one another privately, but when it came down to business, no one made a better team at the Citadel than Vakarian and Vu. That gave me comfort.

"I'll, ah…I'll admit that I was a bit more aggressive with you than I should have been, though", he mentioned, running a finger along my bandaging. "Even the exposed flesh of my people is much tougher than yours. I hadn't realized how much damage I'd caused until it was over." He laughed quietly, "I think I must have startled Mordin when I ran to grab him from the Med Bay. He thought I'd killed someone."

I chuckled, "Oh, he finds us _fascinating_ by the way."

"He finds everything fascinating."

We shared a quiet laugh. I felt much more collected now. We settled into the couch and I tucked myself into his side as comfortably as I could given his hard, bulky armor. His arm rested over my shoulders and he stroked the skin along my arm. I had never been in a serious relationship before. Much too busy climbing my way up the proverbial career ladder to care too much about it. Going from zero to 'married' in less than 24 hours still made me feel like I was being a ridiculously hopeless romantic, but this was Garrus. It was different. Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't still boiling over with questions.

"So, what happens to my name?"

"Hmm?"

"In human culture, the female takes the male's last name."

He paused, "Humans seem to put a lot of stock in ownership over their females. Turians, we're territorial and aggressive, but in the end, the women are free to make their own choices. That's how we like them. There's nothing worse than a helpless, brainless, over-submissive female."

"Funny. Most human males would consider that a 'Trophy Wife'."

I felt him rumble with a small chuckle, "Keep your name. I want you to stay exactly who you are."

We sat for a while in silence, taking in the novel realization of it all. It occurred to me that our new bonding was already at threat from the forces out in that sparkling, quiet galaxy. But in that moment with him, I couldn't even begin to feel afraid. He simply kept me grounded.

"Shepard called me to her office to make sure that she and I were still, 'okay'."I heard Garrus rumble beneath my head, "Do you think we should at least let her know or would she even be able to understand?"

"Shepard's open-minded. It might be in our best interest to tell her. Otherwise, we may risk being split up at some point during this war."

His hand gripped my shoulder possessively, "Not a chance. I'd like to see anyone try."

An hour later, Garrus and I were back in the Main Battery, pretending to work, and shooting each other quirky glances from time to time. "Stop staring at me, ya sap", I scolded him playfully.

"Why? You're my mate, I'll look at you all I want."

"Okay, now you're just looking for excuses to say it."

The door hissed apart. Enter Shepard and her salivating pet, "Suit up, Garrus, we're headed to Palavan." I perked up from my place in the back. "You too, Vu…what the hell happened to your neck?"

"Ah, I – "

"What? Commander, I thought I'd be going with you on this mission", Alenko whined.

What a baby.

"Kayden, we discussed this. I need you on this ship. We can't lose another Normandy."

"But Shepard – "

"That's final."

He huffed, squishing that over-tanned face of his into a ridiculous pout, and turned to leave. I wiped at the grease on my hands as I walked to the front of the battery to join Garrus and the Commander.

"Heading right into the fire as usual, eh Commander?" Garrus asked, attempting a casual tone.

"Long and aggravating story short, we need to pick up your Primarch from Palaven's moon if we're going to get the help we need."

I smirked, "I guess it wouldn't be a war if it wasn't dripping with bureaucratic bullshit at every turn."

Shepard nodded, "Got that right. We hit the relay in ten minutes. I'll see the two of you on deck then. Make sure your weapons and armor are fully upgraded, there's no telling what we'll find out there."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Garrus stepped forward a bit nervously, "Ah, Shepard, one more thing."

"Yeah, Garrus?"

He scratched the back of his neck, searching for the words. I walked around to join his side, grabbing hold of his hand. He found them, "We'd like to keep it hush-hush between the rest of the crew, but I'd like your support in ensuring that Jay and I won't be separated. If she goes to another vessel, I go, and vice versa."

Shepard looked surprised for a moment. Watching her scan my neck again, it occurred to me that she must have known more about turian culture than I did. She nodded briefly with a small grin before heading toward the door.

"Congratulations, you two. Now, suit up. I need you out there. Both of you."


	7. Recollect

My lungs were burning. My skin was freezing. The harsh rain stung as it hit my scalp and backside. There was mud in my right eye, and my hands and arms were so caked with it that no amount of wiping would help. Part of me was screaming at myself for having even considered joining C-Sec academy, I had already been put through enough of this bullshit back in Alliance basic training. Then again, if I couldn't even make it through the damn recruitment obstacles, how in the hell did I expect to make it through N-School? I had to prove that my recommendation had been well earned. Couldn't quit now. Had to push forward. Keep going. Prove all those assholes wrong. Best way to make Jasia Vu do something? Tell me I can't. Go on, I dare you.

My knee scraped across something sharp in the mud. I winced, but kept on moving. Pulling, tugging, dragging myself through the obstacle course on my belly like some sort of legless serpent. It was demeaning, and the way that asshole Sergeant was barking at me wasn't helping. I glanced over my shoulder just long enough to see that I was well ahead of the rest of the recruits. This was the final stretch. More than half had either quit or been injured and forced to withdraw. That set a fire under my ass. Not only was I going to win, but I was going to win by a long shot. Even better. A foot planted itself into my back, sinking me another three inches into the muck.

"Whoa, there Alliance hot shot! You think you're better than everyone else? Come on, keep moving!"

I growled, kicking and pulling with all my might. He was giving the others an unfair advantage! I was going to come out last if he kept this up! One of the recruits passed me up. Then another. And other. I was beginning to panic, a ball of heated fury churning in the pit of my stomach. The one to finish last would be refused an apprenticeship. We were all clamoring and fighting for one of three spots, and right now, I was number four.

Son-of-a-bitch!

I yelled, scrambled, kicked, screamed, worked harder than I ever had in my entire life. One of the recruits passed the finish line. No! I pulled harder, gaining only inches at a time with the heavy weight of the laughing asshole pressing firmly down into the middle of my aching back. I watched through my one good eye as another recruit made it to the finish. Damnit! I was on the verge of loss. My muscles ached and refused to work. I couldn't go anymore. Defeated and ashamed, I laid my head down into the mud, fighting back the urge to cry. I could at least save my dignity.

"Hey, Stallwick! Is that really necessary? Lay off the kid!", a flanged turian voice called from over my shoulder. The weight pulled off my back, but I remained buried in the mud. There was no way I could catch up with number three now. "Hey!" a foot nudged gently under my ribs, "Come on, kid! Don't give up! You're almost there!"

I lifted my head, craning my neck to look up into a set of blue eyes. Wow. I had never really had a thing for turians before, but he was gorgeous. Really attractive…for an alien.

His foot nudged me harder, "I'm not going to let you give up, Private! Pick it up, get moving, that's an order!" Something about his voice got to me. A beam of heat shot though me, igniting my drive. Another hit me right between the legs, making me hotter than I'd ever been in my life! "Move, damnit! Move, move, move!"

I propped myself up on elbows and dug, "Yes, sir!"

He screamed encouragements over me the whole way. Well, they were more like insults, but they felt encouraging to me, "Move your lazy human ass! You think I want an apprentice who can't function in a little rain? I thought your planet was covered with fucking water! Get your scrawny ass to that finish line, now!"

My sights were locked onto the feet moving ahead of me. I was gaining distance quickly, catching up to number three in record time. Just a little further. Come on. The turian's shouts were making me so unbelievably wet, I was actually glad it was raining. So close, almost there. My head was level with number three's hip at this point. He looked back at me with fear in his eyes, and scrambled as hard as he could. I kicked, he kicked. I made it to his shoulder level. The finish line was only three feet away.

The other failed recruits around us were actually cheering now. Shouting, jumping, carrying on. I could hear the turian's voice over the crowd, "Go! Go! Show me what you got! Come on, kid, hustle!"

It was close. Inches. I crawled, reached out my hand. Together we smacked the line. A large hand immediately grasped onto my upper arm, yanking me up to my feet. I staggered and swayed, one eye still shut tight against the mud.

"You did it, kid!" I heard the turian shout, hitting m with a congratulatory smack on the back.

"Hang on a minute, Vakarian. I saw Simmons hit the line first", argued the human Sergeant who had had his foot in my back.

Vakarian threw his arms in protest, "Bullshit! She would have been the first one across that fucking line if you hadn't singled her out like you did."

"Nothing says I can't. Besides, she had an unfair advantage; she's got two years of Alliance training under her belt. I was only trying to level the playing field."

"That's like saying studying before an exam is cheating. It doesn't make any sense!"

"Rules are rule, Vakarian! Simmons stays. She's gotta go."

My heart sank. I had failed. I pushed mud out of my face the best I could, still panting hard from my efforts.

The turian, Vakarian, turned to me with a sigh, shaking his head, "Damn. I'm real sorry kid. You really stole the show out there, I hate to see it end like this."

I nodded respectfully, wiping my mud-caked nose with the back of my hand, "Thanks for trying, sir. I'll go get my things."

I turned to leave as quickly as I could. The burning of a nice long sob-fest was clamping down on my throat. I had to get to the showers before the waterworks started up or else I'd never be able to show my face at the Citadel again.

It took a long time to clean all the mud out of my orifices. To this day I think I probably still have some swimming around in my ear canal somewhere. After my shower, I gathered my things in silence along with the rest of the C-Sec rejects. My little team of losers. Out of my peripheral vision, I could make out the figure of someone coming toward me.

"I thought you deserved to say", he said, "What that guy did to you was a real shithead move."

I nodded, but didn't look at him, "Thanks."

"You'll do great in N-School. How long do you have to wait? Another two years?"

"Yeah."

"Well, good luck. Maybe when you're done you can come back and rub your status in that asshole's face."

I chuckled quietly, "Yeah, maybe."

He walked out the door, leaving me the only loser left in the quarters. I finished gathering my things, brooding silently to myself in the empty room. I checked my watch.

_Better get down to the dock._

Hoisting my things over my shoulder, I made my way to the docking bay for my ride back to Earth. Back home to the people who would pat me with a solemn glance and say things like, "I tried to tell you. Maybe you should rethink your recommendation to N-School, too. Save yourself the embarrassment."

A line was gathering at the elevators ahead. I was starting the path to join them when I noticed Simmons standing there, bag over his shoulder.

_What the hell is he doing here?_

The line started filing into the next available lift, and I fell in after them. I made my way up just to the open doors right as a hand flew in front of me, impeding my path.

"Where do you think you're going?", a familiar flanged voice asked.

I looked up to find Vakarian standing over me and blinked, "Sir?"

He crossed his arms smugly in his chest and leaned into a hip. Damn, he was sexy. I knew my dad would kill me for admitting something like that, but well, he was. No doubt about that. "Turns out, there _are _rules against interfering with recruit performance on the obstacle. You just have to know where to look." I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my lips, "But thanks to all my time researching, I missed my chance for first pick on the apprentices. Guess that means I'm stuck with you."

My smile broadened, "My condolences, sir."

He turned on his heels, heading back toward the offices, "Orientation starts at 0800 hours tomorrow, Vu. Don't be late."

I watched him leave, not blinking until he was completely out of sight, taking in every detail of his moving body. There was no doubt about it, no arguing or trying to make excuse.

I had it.._bad._


	8. Amends

**So, what started out as a short, dirty, one-shot has turned into an actual story thanks to my unstoppable imagination. A big thank you to you who are still reading. I can't seem to stop myself! Any requests while I am at it? Who knows how long this will go on for! I don't really have specific plotline or an end in sight like I normally do. Just kind of flying by the seat of my pants with this one. Hence, the chapters are flowing out of me like crazy. Hope you like.**

* * *

"Mmmn! I don't know what…you're doing…but do _not_…stop…"

My head shot up to look at Garrus with surprise, "You mean to tell me you've _never _gotten a blowjob before in your life?"

"I said _don't_ stop!"

_Oh, right!_

I returned quickly to my task, suppressing a smile and relishing at the way my mate arched and writhed on the small cot at the back of the battery. His hands gripped the edge of the frame, tearing the cotton sheets beneath his sharp talons. I watched his mandible flicker back and forth as he released staggered sighs and soft moans, plated chest heaving and relaxing to my rhythm. It was the sexiest damn thing I had ever seen. His natural lube was flavorless and actually helped to make the job – haha! _job_ – a lot easier. There was no way I could handle him with mouth alone, so both hands joined in to ensure maximal stimulation. His sounds and movements were encouraging. I let one hand leave to reach for his, pulling it from the frame of the cot to guide into my hair. His eyes opened for a moment to look down at me, questioning. I nodded with a grin and he allowed his fingers to slip through, tangling, pulling, tugging, guiding. His head flew back and he squeezed his eyes shut with another moan, louder this time.

"Open your eyes. Look at me", I coached.

"Can't…I'll come."

Fuck, that was hot!

His other hand bravely ventured into my hair before sliding down to my jaw. His thumb gently caressed the underside of my bottom lip wrapped firmly around his cock, then retreated quickly.

"Oh, fuck", he moaned. "Shouldn't have…can't…ah, Spirits!"

With an arch of his spine, his fingers tightened on my scalp and a roar vibrated through is large chest. I concentrated my oral efforts at his pointed tip, increasing my speed manually over his throbbing length. It occurred to me that I had no idea what to expect next, but it was too late now. To my surprise, hot fluid secreted not from the tip, but along the shaft. Now I understood the true purpose for all the bumps and ridges. Nothing escaped the glans where I held anchor, but he seemed to be enjoying the concentrated stimulation. The amount he released was much less than I had anticipated, given how big turians are, but it made sense considering how many times they're able to ejaculate in a single session. Unlike human males, turians are equip to go as many times as it takes to get the job done.

After a few spastic shutters I felt his body relax beneath me, and his hands loosen on my scalp. He was using a great deal of self restraint, I could tell. A hand crept down to my face again, caressing my cheek bone gently while he moaned in the afterglow of his climax.

"Hm. Not what I expected", I mused, wiping my slick hands on a nearby towel.

He picked is head up to look at me, "Why?"

"Well, humans ejaculate from the tip."

He looked disgusted, "They come from the same place they piss from?"

I nodded, "And in much larger volume."

"Sounds messy…and, they do piss from there, right? It doesn't come out their fingertips or something weird I should know about before shaking hands with one of your males again?"

"No", I laughed, "it's the same hole."

I tossed the towel aside and he moved over as much as his massive bulk would allow so I could join him on the small cot.

"The Spirits got it all wrong", he said as I climbed up next to him.

"What?"

"Turian men were never meant for turian women. This is completely natural, the way it should be."

I chuckled, "If that were the case, you could get me pregnant."

He smirked, "Who says I can't?"

"Ah, DNA?"

His hand waved dismissively. He was behaving intoxicated, it was funny, "Those guys are all assholes, no one ever listened to them anyhow."

"Well, someone's listening 'cause I have yet to hear of a human-turian baby."

He growled and rolled me over, nipping lightly at my collarbone, "Is that a challenge?"

"Will it get me laid?" He nodded. "Then yes. Yes, that is a challenge."

One arm scooped my knee upward, and he shifted to line up on top of me. Gotta say, I'm a fan of that incredible turian stamina.

After about another two hours of mind-melting pleasure, I finally slid away from Garrus' snoozing side to venture back to my own bunk in the crew quarters. It had been a little over a month, but we still wanted to keep things private for now, though I'm pretty sure people were starting to notice the way we looked at each other. A few had even commented on my pink ring of pin-prick scars. "What happened to you? Get bitten by a shark?"

_Ah…yeah!_

I didn't bother hiding it anymore. Fuck it. Shepard was fine with our mating, and that's all that mattered. Jack had put two and two together the instant she saw the bandaging on the old wound. Since then, she and I had hit it off pretty well. Her biotic students snickered and whispered when they passed me in the halls on the ship, so I could only assume their instructor had said something. Probably dirty.

Alenko had been a pissy little bitch, both on Palaven's moon and Tachanka. I got the distinct feeling that Shepard was growing very tired of him. Garrus and I were her ground crew, she always took us out on a fight. Alenko argued that we had too much fire power and not enough biotic, but I say to hell with biotics! We won wars for centuries on Earth with no fucking voodoo magic, and between all three of our skill behind a trigger, I'd say we had the situation pretty well under control. Besides, if Shepard was going to take anyone out based on their biotic abilities, it was Jack.

"Alenko can suck my dick", she barked over breakfast the next morning. Garrus coughed, sputtering some of his dextro-based drink across the table. I suppressed a smirk with everything in me. "I'm sick of hearing him piss and moan every damn time Shep takes you two out on a mission."

I shrugged, "Some people gotta bitch."

"Watch, when we get back to the Citadel, Shep won't have a damn second to herself. He'll follow her around like shit clinging to her backside the entire time we're on shore leave."

My turn to cough. I still wasn't for sure what exactly it was I was ingesting on a day to day basis, but I had gotten use to stomaching the mystery cuisine. Still, the first place I planned to hit on the Citadel was _definitely_ going to be a restaurant.

"You two love-birds gonna get a room this time? Give me some rest?" Jack asked slyly. "I hear there's a nice honeymoon suite on the top floor of the Majestic."

"Nah", I responded, "We spent our honeymoon shooting up husks and curing the genophage. I'd say that pretty well beats any penthouse on the Citadel."

"Okay, my translator is having a field day with that one. Something about a sticky-sweet moon in a luxury hotel room just doesn't make sense to me", Garrus commented, tapping his omni-tool. "And what the hell is a bee?"

"Extinct is what it is", I said.

"Yeah, just like pretty much everything else on Earth right about now."

As soon as it came out of her mouth, I could tell Jack regretted her words. I stared at my tray while an awkward silence passed between the three of us. After a short will, I stood casually from the table.

"Well, I better get back to those weapons upgrades. Tali's gonna pop in today and help me with the geth components we obtained from those Cerberus assholes back on Mars."

"Ah-hey Vu, I didn't…I mean I – "

"No worries, Jack. I know you didn't grow up on Earth, and I wouldn't expect you to understand. We're cool."

A few hours later, Tali was cleaning her supplies from the back of the Main Battery. I wiped my hands on a dingy cloth while Garrus attended to calibrations – of course – on the console for our new, improved, probably illegal weaponry.

"You alright?", I heard him hum.

I nodded, "Fine."

"Jack didn't mean anything. Sometimes I think she suffered some kind of brain damage when they were doing all those horrible things to her as a kid."

"I'm not upset with her. I know she didn't mean anything by it."

"Heard anything from your dad?"

I shook my head, "You?"

"No."

Tali joined us at the front, carrying her tools, "Call me if anything looks funny. It should all be in perfect working order, though, so I'm not expecting too much trouble out of it." We thanked her and he made for the door, stopping just short to turn and face us, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Palaven and Earth. We'll do whatever we can to save them."

"Thanks, Tali."

The doors hissed open. She paused, "Ah, I think there's something here for you."

Garrus walked to the door and retrieved a bottle of wine sitting on the floor just outside the door. Tali took her leave just as he returned to my side, reading a small card attached to the bottom.

_Have a fancy, sticky-sweet moon in a luxury hotel room fuck fest on me._

_Ya know, because I'm a thoughtless asshole with no filter._

_Jack_

Inside the card was a reservation number for the penthouse suite at the Majestic. Two nights, full room-service, already paid for.

"Ah man", I groaned, "She didn't have to go and do this."

"Jack is being nice. I'd say take it where we can get it."

* * *

**More character development than actual plot in this one. I'm sure my fantastical brain will brew up some sort of a storyline eventually. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying it.**


	9. Serve Protect

So much red tape.

It bored the ever loving shit out of me. Luckily for me, though, my Security Director didn't throw every strangling piece of documentation my way like the others did to their apprentices.

"You need the practice, but I'm not going to go watch an asari dancer jiggle her ass in my face at Chora's Den while my loyal sidekick sits behind a desk for twelve hours a day."

Damn, he was amazing.

I was doing my best to stanch the flow of erotic fantasies about us that had become more and more frequent lately. Especially after I watched him take down that batarian drug trafficker with nothing more than a cool composure and the butt-end of a gun. The man had style. And those blue eyes. He could send me to my knees with a flick of his mandibles, making me wish all the while that I could do a lot more than look at him while I was down there.

He had already let me take on a few cases on my own. Well, sort of alone. He watched carefully from the shadows, listening in on his omni tool while I took care of minute issues like traffic violations and slot-machine hacking. Still, it was sure as a hell a lot better deal than what the other two apprentices where subjected to. Made me wonder if C-Sec only filled seats in their program to have us jackasses take care of the mundane, unwanted tasks like paperwork and phone calls. Uniformed secretaries. I was glad Vakarian saw it differently.

My omni tool flashed. It was him. I answered immediately, "Sir?"

[_Vu,_ _I got a lead on that arms dealer. Meet me in the loading docks ASAP. Bring your gun and armor up, this could get ugly._]

My heart drummed with excitement. He was going to let me in on the case, and not just as a spectator! That was another thing I liked about him, I wasn't just his tag-along assistance or paperwork pusher, we were a team. And a damn good one, even the higher ups had acknowledged that. I leapt from my desk and ran at a full sprint to my locker. One of the other recruits, Adams, was closing up his as I approached, clamoring with the lock.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?", he sneered.

"We're finally busting that krogan arms dealer today. Vakarian wants me down there to help."

He wrinkled his little pig nose, "Help? You're an apprentice, you can't help. At best he'll let you hold his extra heat sinks."

I pulled my armor on as fast as I could, "Maybe that's what your Security Director does, but mine's different."

"That's bullshit. It's not fair."

"Sorry." I grabbed my gun and shut my locker with a _slam_, "Gotta go!"

I heard him call after me as I ran off, "Teacher's pet!"

Fuck him. He was just being a jealous little bitch.

As apprentices, we were only cleared to use pistols. Mine was an M-77 Paladin equipped with scope and anti-kickback mods. I didn't really need it, but since I was a girl, they gave it to me for half price. Assholes. I was already trained in heavy weapons and assault rifles by the Alliance, but that didn't matter. Little did the academy know, Vakarian had already been training me something that had quickly become my absolute favorite: snipers. He got ahold of an old Mantis I for me to practice with. It had to stay in his locker, though. The pistol rule pissed him off just as much as it did me, "I'd much rather have you behind the scope of a long, silent barrel when you're covering my six, but rules are rules, I guess."

_I'd like to be behind the scope of __**his**__ long, silent barrel._

I made my way down to the loading dock in record time. Vakarian was waiting just outside the doors to the elevator when they opened. He turned, scanned me with his eyes, then cleared his throat, "Where's ah…where's your helmet, kid?"

I gave him a guilty look, "You know I can't aim right in that bulky thing."

"No helmet, no helping."

"But, sir – "

"No buts. Here", he shoved his turian helmet into my chest, "put this on."

"What? I really won't be able to aim with this on!"

"It sure as hell beats a bullet to the head. Helmet. Now."

I'd be lying if I said his deep, commanding voice did make me slick between the thighs. "But what about you, sir?" My voice was muffled inside his helmet as I slipped it on. It smelled so damn good inside. Like he was right up against me, breathing in my ear.

Distracted? You could say that.

"I'll be fine", he reassured, smacking my head. "My number one priority is you." I was glad he couldn't see my ridiculous, goofy smile past the tinted visor of his helmet. "Come on, let's get into position. Wrane will be here soon, unpleasantly surprised to find that we have his vessel on lockdown." I followed his long strides to the back of the dock. "We've finally got the evidence we need to incarcerate him, he's not going anywhere, not this time. But that doesn't mean he won't put up a hell of a fight. Stay sharp, Vu."

"You can count on me, sir."

His large hand smacked my shoulder approvingly, "I know I can."

I felt it safe to beam beneath my concealment. It was bulky, heavy, and wobbled on my head. Hardly the characteristics one desired in a piece of protective wear. But as I purposefully inhaled more oxygen than was necessary in an attempt to take in his incredible scent, the last thing I was worried about was taking a few bullets. The helmet extended out the back of the crown in order to accommodate turian fringe. The added weight kept pulling the visor upward, requiring me to adjust it regularly, which was irritating.

After about thirty long minutes of waiting with our thumbs in our asses, Vakarian finally got the heads up that Wrane and his men were heading back toward the docks. My job was to keep aim on Wrane to ensure arrest, make sure he was taken alive, and provide backup firepower _only_ if necessary. No heroic stuff. Seemed simple enough.

Three other turian officers and I stood at the ready behind Officer Vakarian as Wrane and his men entered the area. We took aim. My helmet slipped, forcing me to take my hand off my gun to fix it. I heard one of the other turians snicker beneath his helmet.

_Fucker. _

"Hands where we can see them, Wrane. You're under arrest", my Security Director insistent.

Damn, he was sexy.

The krogan laughed as he sauntered forward, "You still tryin' ta take me down, Vakarian?"

"There won't be any trying this time, Wrane. We found your cargo base, and plenty of proof that you're in charge. The warrant's solid, you're going in."

"That so?" Wrane huffed. "Well, then I guess ya caught me."

His arms rose to the back of his head. I squinted behind my visor. Wait a minute, something didn't smell right. Well, actually something smelt _amazing_, but that wasn't my point. There was no way in hell a big-time like him would just give himself up like that. I immediately recalled some of my more recent sniping lessons with Vakarian, "Lining up the perfect shot means they never knew you were coming. That's what makes a good sniper."

My eyes darted frantically around the docking bay. The gunner wouldn't use a bead, they wouldn't be that stupid. They'd be silent and fast, I just had to be faster. Wrane was turning to accept a set of glowing handcuffs around his wrist. I was just about to think myself paranoid when…_there_. I saw him. He wasn't krogan, though. Not surprising, krogan weren't exactly known for their stealth tactics. The turian was lining up the shot with Vakarian's exposed skull. There was no way I could hit the sniper with a bullet in that bulky-ass helmet. Especially with a fucking pistol. Warning my teammates would only ensure gunfire and Vakarian would surely be shot in the time it would take for me to point on the sniper.

In a moment of panic, I did the only thing I knew to do, something that had been instilled in me from day one with the Alliance: Serve. _Protect. _I sprinted forward, leaping onto Vakarian's back only half a second before the loud crack of sniper gunfire echoed though the area. I felt like I had taken a baseball bat to the ribs. We crashed to the ground. Gunfire erupted. Voices shouted. I couldn't catch my breath, it hurt to inhale. Hands drug me across the ground, behind a crate. My lungs were on fire. The damn helmet had to come off. I shoved it away with both hands, gasping for air. Gunfire ceased. Arms pulled me up, cradling me half off the ground.

"Vu!", Vakarian screamed over me, "Vu, you alright? Talk to me, were you hit?"

"I saw the bullet hit the side of her armor, sir, but it didn't penetrate", one of the other officers commented over his shoulder. "At worst she might have some broken ribs."

My Security Director looked down at me, blue eyes searching, "Talk to me, kid. Tell me you're alright."

Besides the throbbing ache in my ribs, I was in heaven. A snarky smile spread across my face as I looked up at him, "You never knew he was coming, sir." My voice was hoarse, it hurt to talk.

His mandibles flicked into a turian smile, "That's why I'm glad you've got my six. I can't think of anyone better."


	10. Love is a Three Letter Word

**This idea was prompted to me by a reader: **

**"...I can see Vu getting totally hit on by other Turians while on the Majestic. Mostly because her mark means one of two things, one being that she is in fact mated, but also that she totally knows how to handle a Turian. Which will only cause Garrus to get all territorial…"**

** Thanks, Des! Hope you like it!**

* * *

"You sure you're alright?" Garrus asked again, "This isn't going to be like that time you took a bullet for me back at C-Sec, played it off as a bruise, then a week later we found out you had three broken ribs."

I shook my head with a reminiscing smile, "I'm fine, Garrus. My armor's a lot thicker than it was back then." I poked gingerly at the impact area on my thigh, "Just a bruise, for sure."

The devastation Cerberus caused on the Citadel was appalling. We had stopped them, of course, but not before one of the Normandy's old crew members took an assassin's sword to the gut. Shepard had just left us to go check on Thane in the Huerta Memorial Hospital. Word was, he wasn't going to make it. I personally had never met the guy, but the drell had sure put up one hell of a fight. It was impressive to witness.

The entire Normandy crew did what we could to clear up the majority of the mess and help the wounded into the over-crowded hallways of the hospital. Once C-Sec thanked us, assuring that we had done all we could, everyone was relieved for 48 hours of shore leave. Shepard had a lot of loose ends to tie up on the Citadel, especially with that dramatic shit Alenko had pulled back there with the Council. Udina was dead, and good riddance. I never did like that guy. If she had asked me, I would have told the Commander to leave Alenko's bitchy ass there when were left dock. In fact, I mulled over the thought more than once. I was her second in command, after all.

It was disturbing how quickly things fell back into step considering all that had just transpired at that place. Shops reopened, business sold their products, and hotels ran their front desks with a polite smile. The asari concierge greeted us as though nothing had happened, smiling brightly.

"Welcome to the Majestic! Checking in, sir?"

Garrus placed Jack's card onto the table, "Yes, we have a reservation under this number."

She typed the number into the console, "Ah, yes, It looks like we have your down for our honeymoon suite. Congratulations!"

Garrus and I shared an awkward, embarrassed glance, "Thanks."

"Here is your room key, and our bellhop will take your things for you. Also, please accept a gift of levo-dextro champagne as our congratulations for you and your beautiful bride."

We were covered in soot, sticky with sweat, and still dressed in our blood-splattered armor. The compliment felt out of place, but I grinned politely. My confused mate leaned over to me as the asari finished the transaction, "My beautiful what?"

"Human term for a new mate."

"I see."

"At this rate, the whole damn Citadel is going to know."

He stood back up straight and shrugged, "Maybe it's not such a bad thing."

After we made it to our room and our things were delivered, we took advantage of the much needed privacy to fulfill number 235 in my list of Garrus Vakarian fantasies; shower sex. It was even better than I had pictured it. As he lifted me up by my thighs and pinned me against the tiled wall under the foggy heat of the water, I took brief notice of the angry black and blue bruise that was already starting to encircle my left leg. It wasn't pretty, but it would heal just fine. The Majestic boasted a spectacular levo-dextro restaurant on their first floor, and after enduring the last month of Normandy's fine cuisine, we both agreed to make it our number two destination of the evening.

"I'm going to order a steak the size of my face", I quipped as we rode down in the elevator, "I want to be so full you'll have to carry me out of there."

Garrus laughed, "Yeah well, if they have actual Palavenian sho'k'tokt, you'll be carrying _me_ out."

"Pala-who? I think my translator just cussed at me."

We shared another laugh as the elevator dinged, signaling our arrival. In my hungry haste, I made to step out as the doors slid open, nearly bumping headlong into the chest plates of another turian entering the lift.

"Oh! Excuse me", I blurted.

He eyed my neck with a flick of his mandibles, "Excuse _me_."

Stepping aside, his arm opened the way for me to pass while his eyes traced my body. I heard a low rumble in his chest as I passed. What a creep. I chose to ignore it, men were men no matter what the species. My evening dress was classy, not too revealing, but it did show off my bond markings very clearly. Garrus had hummed his approval in the mirror behind me as I dressed that evening. To hell with secrets, we decided. What was the harm in letting people know who we belonged to?

A hand slid into mine, squeezing me affectionately. I glanced up just in time to notice Garrus glaring back at the turian standing by the elevator, no doubt still eyeing my ass the way he was when I had passed him. I rolled my eyes lightly, he had always been overprotective.

Another asari met us with a smile at the hostess' podium as we approached, "Good evening. Table for two?" We nodded, following her to a darker corner of the restaurant lit only by candlelight in the center of the table. "This is our most intimate seating area, will it do?"

We concurred with another nod before Garrus pulled my seat out for me, a rather chivalric, human gesture. His breath brushed my ear as I took a seat, "I've done my research."

I smirked. So had I.

The menu looked incredible, so many choices. I had no idea what to pick. "Hmm. We might be here for a while. I could eat everything on the front page as an appetizer."

I had expected Garrus to come back with some playful banter, but he sat silent. My eyes rose over my menu to catch him glaring to his left where our private table overlooked the rest of the room. My sight followed his to the point of interest: another turian male propped nonchalantly at the bar, and looking right at me. He hadn't noticed my mate glowering. Finally, Garrus dropped his menu and turned in his seat, challenging the other turian with a heated stare. He took note, raised his hands into surrender, stole one last glance at me, then turned to speak the bartender. According to my own research, this was not uncommon. Territorial behaviors were even somewhat expected amongst mated couples.

_'A turian woman might view their male as weak or unfaithful if he fails to challenge other male suitors who may attempt to woo her', _said the article written by a salarian doctor. '_Many males will respect the sacred symbolism of the bond markings, but others, especially younger and more virile males, may view the opportunity to woo a female away from her mate as sport. Impregnating a mated female is largely the goal of this game, allowing the challenger to spread his own genetics."_

Boys. I will never understand them, no matter what species they are.

Garrus seemed to be satisfied by his challenger's reaction, and returned his attention to his menu. Our asari waitress brought our drinks, appetizers, and first course over the next couple hours while we talked and reminisced over stories of C-Sec. It was a shock for me to discover that, for every erotic thought I had about him, he had two about me. That would have been nice to know back then!

Desert was to die for. It was a dish neither of us had ever heard of before, and safe for both levo and dextro organics. The single slice of cake-like food was delivered on one plate, prompting us to push our chairs close together in order to relish in its decadence. Garrus' turian utensil fought against mine for some of the larger bites, and he chuckled when I stabbed him gently in the side with my fork. The waitress returned with a drink, setting it on the table with an awkward expression.

She cleared her throat, "Ma'am, the ah…gentleman at the table over there", she pointed behind her, "wishes you to enjoy this drink, and ah, hopes you will come speak with him later. I'm just delivering the message, sir, please don't be upset with me."

Garrus' glare shot back across the room, eyeing his newest challenger with a fire I only saw in battle. Rather than allow him to make a scene, I quickly handed the drink over to the waitress, "Tell him I'm not interested."

She smiled, "Yes, ma'am", and retreated.

Garrus looked at me with surprise. I shot a quick glance toward the turian at the table, then placed myself onto my mates' thigh, lovingly stroking his fringe. He sighed quietly and squeezed my ass, nipping softly at my chin. I forked the last bite of our shared desert with a seductive grin toward the other turian before turning to offer it to Garrus. He grinned and accepted it gladly, humming with delight and running his talons gently along my arm. I thought surely a display such as ours would have deterred anyone, but this male must have had a death wish.

While my mate and I carried on in our public display of affection, which I blame completely on the alcohol again, we hadn't even noticed the new challenger leave his post to slide through the crowd to our secluded table. I felt a tap at my shoulder and heard someone clear their throat.

"Excuse me", he growled seductively.

I turned, brows furrowed, "Can I help you?"

I felt Garrus growl against me. What the hell was this guy's angle? He did know he couldn't knock me up, right?

"You returned my drink, beautiful. Have I done something to offend you?"

I pointed to my markings, "I'm mated and you're wasting your time. Run along, Romeo."

He chuckled, "For a prize like you, it's never a waste. I've heard stories about what it's like to sleep with a human, and I'm just itching to find out if they're true."

_Wrong move, buddy._

I don't know how he did it, but somehow, Garrus managed to set me back in my seat before flinging the creeper into the wall, pinning his neck painfully beneath his forearm. He was bigger than the smooth-talking, drink-buying asshole who finally looked as though he had fearfully met his match.

I watched with a keen grin as Garrus snarled in the guy's face, "The stories are true. Now, fuck. Off."

Romeo grunted and gargled behind the pressure of my mate's unrelenting forearm, "Gahgn…hey, ugh! Hey, man…you got it just – ugn – just let me go!"

Garrus released him. Light reflected on metal. I grabbed my concealed handgun from my thigh holster. Romeo's gun pointed at my mate's chest, my gun pointed at his head.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we were properly introduced", I growled, "Jadzia Vu, N7 level Alliance Navy and First Lieutenant to Commander Jane Shepard, human Specter and captain of the Normandy. This is my bond mate, Garrus Vakarian, Omega's Archangel and also a close personal friend of the Commander's. Nice to meet you. Wanna die, friend?" His eyes widened and he shook his head. "Then I suggest you hand over that unregistered pistol, and get the fuck out of here. Now."

Garrus smirked, "And she's even better in bed."

The gun was left in my hand, and Romeo took off at full speed out of the restaurant. I fully expected us to be violently escorted out of the restaurant and the hotel after that. But to our great surprise, we were actually apologized to profusely by the owner, comped for our dinner, and given a voucher for a free meal that never expired. Garrus left an exceedingly generous tip, and we made our way back to the room. A couple of turian males were brave enough to spare a few glances as we left, but none of the eyes lingered for very long. My mate carried himself tall and proud, arm wrapped tightly around my waist. Human men might feel emasculated by what I had just done back there, but turian men found it incredibly appealing for a woman to stand up for herself, and her mate. He was practically shaking to get me upstairs, I could see it in his eyes.

While I hadn't anticipated the added bonus of our adventures down in the restaurant, my research had already led me to prepare for the rest of the evening in our private room. The sexy lingerie concealed beneath my dress was sure to drive him wild, and now that he was sufficiently aroused by all the territorial foreplay, I knew exactly what to do next.

'_Once mating bonds have been successfully defended against potential outside threats, males typically desire sexual unity with their mate. If the female was impressed by her mate's defensive displays, she will assume a submissive role during the interaction, confirming her loyalty to her mate._'

Thank you, Fornax.

Garrus was verbally silent on the ride up to our suite, but the purr in his chest grew in volume with every floor we passed. It made me so hot, and he could smell it on me. He nuzzled my bond markings, tickling my neck with his flicking mandibles while he inhaled a deep breath on my skin, "You're wet."

I moaned complacently, then a thought suddenly occurred to me, "Have you always been able to smell my arousal?"

His hand tried to work its way up my dress, but I didn't want him to find the lingerie just yet. It was suppose to be a surprise. I stopped him quickly, making him chuckle, "I always knew I smelled _something _on you, I just didn't know what it was until the first time we had sex. Now I realize I use to smell it on you all the time back at C-Sec."

"And now you know why I had a hard time staying focused."

He growled and pushed me up against the wall with his hips, "So much wasted time. If I'd only known."

The door elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. I slid around him to walk out with my best seductive, come-and-get-me walk. "Well, you know now."

He fumbled for the room key, unlocking the door quickly and watching my every move as I passed him to walk inside. The door shut behind me and locked. Arms closed around my waist from behind, teeth nipped at my neck.

"Wait", I whispered, "I have a surprise for you."

His breath left my neck, peaked interest on his face. I walked to the king-sized bed, turning to face him before reaching slowly for the zipper of my dress. His eyes followed my hand as I guided it down my torso. It peeled delicately away from my skin and fell to the floor, revealing the transparent, black, lace corset. Downward, nothing covered me except for the lacy garter which sent long, silken straps down to my thigh-high stockings.

I saw his breath catch in his chest as he looked me over, "Spirits."

I turned to crawl slowly onto the bed, never once breaking eye contact. His knuckles cracked in his fists, I could tell he was restraining himself, curious to see what I would do next. I made my way up to the middle of the bed, pausing on all fours before I smiled and slowly lowered my upper half to the mattress, leaving my exposed ass hovering in the air for him. Given the harsh metallic floors of the Main Battery, this was a position that we had yet to be able to try, and the most submissive one I could think of. Garrus gnashed his teeth in heated approval. Apparently, I had done something right. I lay there, staring at him, waiting for him, submitting for my mate while he tore his own clothes off.

"I've done my research, too", I said as he climbed up behind me.

"I can see that."

I grinned, "Do I get a reward?"

His talons gently grazed my naked cheeks, making me shutter. "I'd say you get an A plus for this one."

"Is that all?"

I received my answer in the form of two hands on my waist and a sudden, deeply penetrating thrust. The quick plunge didn't give me time to adjust, and I winced against the slight pain of having all of his massive size inside of me at once. The pleasure of it didn't take long to envelope me, however, and I moaned at the incredible sensation of his violent pounding. Sometimes he hit so hard it bruised my ischial areas, making sitting difficult for a few days, but I had gotten use to it. He never made shallow strokes. They were always long, deep, hard, perfection, hitting my G-spot with expert precision every time. His aim was just as good in bed as it was in the field. And just like the professional sniper he was, he knew how to savor each shot, take his time, wait for the perfect moment to blow my mind. There were no quick shooting, rapid fire, assault rifle tendencies in _my_ man. Nope!

My fingers gripped the sheets next to my head, hanging on for the ride. I heard the rip of fabric, and felt my corset become loose around my breasts, my ribs, my abdomen, until it feel off and onto the bed. Part of me wanted to scold him for ruining my newest purchase, but I couldn't seem to find the words behind all my mewling and keening. I was teetering on the edge of euphoria, so close I was vibrating with sexual energy.

Then it stopped.

_Hey!_

He pulled out, "Don't come yet."

"Why?"

I was flipped onto my back, "Because I want to try something." He pushed my thighs apart and settled between them, his face only a few inches from my already highly sensitive core. _Oh, damn_. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but I did my research. Let me know if I pass the test."

My breathing was erratic, "Oh, I will."

I already knew from our alien kisses that his tongue was long, thick, and somewhat raspy. Not too harsh, though, not enough that I wanted to prevent him from…_experimenting._ He started out light as a feather. Sweet little butterfly kisses licked at my inner thighs as his mandibles clicked and fluttered. His tongue barley grazed my sensitive folds, but it was just enough to get me squirming. Sharp teeth nipped my thigh delicately, sending a wave of electricity shuddering through me.

"Spirits, they don't serve _this_ on Palaven", I heard him groan. "I could live on you alone."

I moaned and arched my back, "We can arrange that."

He grew braver, pressing deeper with his tongue, exploring, reading me. When he passed over my aching nerve bundle, I made damn sure he knew how I felt about it. A fire lit his eyes. Hands locked onto my waist, holding me down. It took no more than ten seconds of concentrated flicks, swirls, and laps to bring me crumbling down out of sanity. My orgasm rocked me, ripped me, tore me straight through until there was nothing left but raw, exposed emotion and throbbing nerves.

"Ah-I-Ah-I…I LOVE YOU!"

It felt good to say.

Other than my own father, I had never shared those words with anyone, especially not a man. I didn't know if Garrus could even understand the meaning behind the human term. Our brief discussion did little to explain the sheer power behind something so simple. It didn't bother me though, I already knew how he felt about me, I just needed to say it out loud for myself. I felt his body climb over mine as I relaxed into my fading bliss. My grin probably looked ridiculous. Funny how he could always manage to do that to me. My eyes were closed, enjoying the aftershocks, goosebumps spreading at the scratch of his talons across my scalp.

His breath hit my face, "I..l-lah…you, too." My eyes opened. "I said it wrong, didn't I?" I shook my head with a smile. Couldn't be too picky on pronunciation with a guy who can't make the 'v' sound in his native tongue. He earned an A plus-plus for effort. "What does it mean, exactly? I understand the context, and I do…lah you. I just, don't know how it translates."

I knitted my brows in thought for a moment before answering, "I think of you before myself. I live for your happiness. I respect you above all others. I seek out your approval, your guidance, your trust. I would _die_ for you."

His blue eyes searched mine for a few seconds before he lowered his forehead to mine, pressing lightly. My own research had reveled this to be a turian act of deep affection, one shared only between bond mates and close family members. A hand gently cupped my face, stroking my cheek in slow circles.

"Yes", he whispered, "I lah you."

* * *

**Reader replies:**

**"****_vvVVV-akarian. VvvVV-ictus. This is so small of a thing but it bothered me so constructive criticism activate: Might want to clear this up somehow_..."**

**Excellent point, my friend! Sorry I did not make it more clear in the story, I shall elaborate: **

**The reason why we can hear the 'v' sounds when turians speak to us is due to the available vocabulary for automated translation of those specific words into our language. For example, when a turian says the word 'velvet' in their language, without the translator, all we might here is a series of clicks or hums. But since we have a word in our own language that translates _directly_ into that same meaning, we hear 'velvet'. Since they have plates for mouths, I generally imagine the turian language would be void of sounds that require a lip-to-lip or teeth-to-lip action, like P, B, V, F, and so on. I know it sounds confusing, but since there is no turian equivalent to the word 'Love', their translator simply picks up on it as a 'la' sound (which they can make), followed by a strange hum. When Garrus tries to say it back the way he perceives it, there is no equivalent word to translate it back into our language, therefore, all we hear is his best effort, which is 'lah'. **

**It's kind of the same concept as when Garrus was talking about his favorite food on Palaven. Since we don't have a word for it, all we got out of it was '_sho'k'tokt_', which means nothing to us. And if we tried to pronounce it the way a turian does, I'm sure it would come out completely wrong.**

**I probably waaaaay over thought this, but there it is, my elaborate, nutball, creativity in a nut_shell_. Thanks for letting me clear that up, and thanks for reading! Your constructive criticism is deeply appreciated.**


	11. Girl Talk

**Mainly character development in this one. Putting myself on paper in a story is weird, it's like I have to develop ****_me_****…but I'm already me…but…**

**Anyhow, enjoy.**

* * *

I love sleep. Probably to an unhealthy degree. I'd sleep for twelve hours, eat, then go back to bed for another four hour nap if life let me. Unfortunately, that's just not the way life works, is it? What's the phrase we humans use?

_'You don't want to sleep your life away.'_

Well, I could. It's not that I don't enjoy living, life is great. Especially when you're waking up next to a soundly snoozing turian who makes your every breath feel worthwhile. The sound of my omni tool beeping was what had pulled me out of slumber. I cracked one eyelid just enough to peer at the message that had come in via text.

_'Vu – It occurred to me last night that, in the midst of all this insanity, I've neglected to get to know my First Lieutenant. Please allow me to rectify that oversight. Meet me for breakfast at that corner café around 0900 hours, my treat – Jane.'_

I grumbled in drowsy discontent. As much as I desired to become better acquainted with the very woman who had inspired me to join the Alliance in the first place, I was exhausted. I pressed the time indicator on my tool. It flashed 0756, eliciting another groan from me. Garrus and I had only just tapped out for some much needed sleep around 0500. It was well worth it, though. He had suppressed the wild, untamed beast that was his usual character in bed, exchanging him temporarily for a passionate, affectionate, love making machine. His strokes were slow, long, and oh so deep. Each one left him lingering for a few seconds before pulling away to repeat an ongoing pattern of thrust, hold, kiss, pull back, thrust, hold, nip... It was amazing. I had heard of tantric sex before, but I had no idea the end result could be so powerful. We came together after nearly a two hour build that had us both shaking head to toe before sweet release finally burst forth. By far the longest orgasm I have ever experienced. It was…_spiritual. _

His touch was so much softer than I would have ever guessed a turian was capable of. He must have caressed every single inch of me, blanketing me in a warmth that I could still feel even now as I scooted my body closer to his. The glowing, blue visor he normally wore was removed, scanning the environment from its resting place on the bedside table. He looked weird without it. Well, not _weird_, just different, like half his face was missing.

Okay, I admit that was mean…but _funny._

He stirred slightly as I whispered into his side, "I have to go meet Shepard. I'll be back later, okay?"

His large, plated arm encased me, pulling me closer. Most women might be repulsed by the way his protective shields poked and scraped at soft human skin, sometimes rashing and chafing in their wake. But I loved it. The intensity of his body made it feel like he was buried inside my very being. I sought out the sharp daggers of his plates whenever I could since body armor usual had them hidden away from my touch.

He took a deep breath and sighed, "She and Alenko are on the rocks, now she thinks she can steal _my _girl? I don't think so."

I chuckled, "Aw, come on. You're not still sore about her jilting you are you?"

"Not at all. She did me a favor, actually. I wager it would have taken me no longer than a week after you joined the Normandy before I'd be doing the exact same thing to her."

I stretched my sore muscles, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Yeah right", I yawned, "I'd have given you two days."

He hummed a sleepy laugh deep in his chest, "You're probably right. What time will you be back?"

"Not sure. Shepard says she wants to get to know me better. I imagine I'll be back before lunch, though. Did you still want to go check out those weapons shops?"

His mouth gapped wide, exposing a series of razor sharp teeth within while he released a rather animalistic sounding roar. Funny. I didn't know turians yawned. "Actually, I might order some food from room service and spend the day lying around in the nude. How often do we get to do that?"

"Hey, it's your sticky-sweet moon, too. I'd say do whatever the hell you want."

He rolled over to me, the weight of his massive body making the bed creak and protest beneath us. A long arm reached around my waist as teeth nipped softly at my bare thigh, "What I _want _is for you to stay in bed with me all day, naked and moaning my name."

I pulled his hand free before standing to head toward the shower, "Later. I promise."

The hot water felt good as it flowed over my tired body. I rested my forehead onto the cool tile and let the gentle pressure massage my back and scalp. The transparent, glass door opened and closed behind me before a set of turian hands slid down my back, spreading goosebumps. It was like we were addicted to one another. Satisfied only when we were joined, sweating and panting. We'll, I would sweat. Turians radiated excess heat from their unplated skin, but they didn't have pores. It would be burning hot to the touch when we were making love.

I came twice in the shower, leaving me jelly-kneed and even more exhausted than when I had woken. When we were done, Garrus crawled back into the bed and turned on a vid from the hotel menu. Some asari documentary about justicars.

"I knew a justicar", he mentioned, propped up against the headboard, arm resting comfortably behind his head to accommodate his fringe. "She gave her life helping us stop the Collectors. Fine lady."

It occurred to me how strange it was to be so at peace, given the horrors that awaited us out in the galaxy, ready to tear us to shreds or worse. Garrus could die in this war. We both could. I shook the thought from my mind, unable to stand the thought of losing him. I finished dressing into my N7 issued armor and pulled a brush through my wet, black hair. Checking my thermal clips, I loaded each of my guns onto my body and turned to kiss my mate goodbye.

"Be careful out there", he said. "Cerberus might not be done with whatever it was we interrupted."

I took a rapid transit shuttle to the café Shepard had designated. She had already arrived, dressed in her own N7 armor. I felt my chest elevate with selfish pride at my accomplishments. N7 soldier, First Lieutenant to the greatest hero in the galaxy, and mated to the greatest man I had ever known. What the hell had I done to deserve everything I had ever wanted? Then, again, it's not like it had been handed to me. Fuck no. I had worked my ass off for where I was, sacrificed, bled, endured what most had not been able to. That's what it took sometimes. You just had to have the iron will to withstand the hardships until it's only you left standing.

"Morning, Vu", the Commander greeted me with a smile.

"Ma'am", I nodded, taking my seat across from her.

"Jane is fine, please."

"Alright_, Jane_. You can call me Jay."

"Jay! That's right", she snapped her fingers, "I've been racking my brains all morning trying to remember what it was Garrus had told me he called you. Your file says your name is Polish?"

I confirmed with a nod.

"But your accent is North American. Did you move there when you were young?"

"Ah…I'm actually _not _Polish, just my first name."

"Oh", she laughed, "I see. Just making assumptions, I guess."

"A lot of people do that. My dad's Scottish. Don't know my mom."

"Oh. Interesting."

_Tah, jeezus_. I was really hoping this wasn't the direction our conversation was headed in for the entire meal. I can't abide small talk. I know it's nice to get to know your neighbor and all, but suburban-style pleasantries over tea and crumpets bore the shit out of me. Not to mention they make me feel really awkward. My dad raised me alone. I do _not_ do girl talk. Maybe that's why Jack and I got along so well.

I dug for something, anything to change the subject, "Yeah soooo…did you get to say goodbye to your friend? Thane, right?"

Her demeanor immediately morphed back into Commander Shepard. I was relieved. "Yeah, his son and I were there when he passed. He was a good man, he'll be missed."

"He put up one hell of a fight. It was an honor to have even been able to witness his last moments on the field."

Our waitress brought by a set of breakfast menus and took our drink orders. Shepard scanned over the front page as she spoke, "Word has it you're not too shabby in the hand-to-hand arena either."

I shrugged, "Hell of a lot of good it does me. Not gonna get too many opportunities to upper cut a Reaper, I imagine."

"You'd be surprised how often those skills can save your life. I watched you knock the skull off a couple of husks back on Palaven's moon. Impressive stuff."

I was soaring. Commander Jane Shepard, my fucking idol, had just paid me a massive complement on my fighting skills. The day couldn't get any better. Well, maybe it would be better if we suddenly got word that the Reapers had caught a computer virus and all self-destructed into a million pieces. That would be pretty amazing. One can only dream.

"So…you and Garrus…" Damnit, we were headed right back into girl talk. I could feel it. "You've known each other a long time?"

"I worked with him for two years at C-Sec. Right before I was shipped to N-School."

The whole thing had me wiggling uncomfortably in my seat. I'm a private person, I didn't want to discuss my history with Garrus. I wanted to discuss war strategy, our next move, why a raven is like a writing desk, something!

"Forgive me for prying, it's just…", she eyes scanned my bond markings. "Were you two…have you been dating…for a long time?"

Now I saw where this was going. It made me smirk, "Garrus wasn't cheating on me with you, Commander. We were reunited on the Normandy. I hadn't even spoken to him in five years. We became mated just as quickly as it appears. You didn't do anything wrong."

She released a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank god."

We laughed, and she left it at that. Was that the problem? No wonder the woman had acted so strange around me for the past month. After that, our conversation relaxed into something much more interesting. She shared old war stories, information about the Collectors, her fight with Saren, I soaked it all up. Hours passed. Even with everything going on around us, I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman in the galaxy. But as much as I was enjoying myself, I couldn't wait to get back to Garrus. We were on our honeymoon, after all.

_Ahem, thank you, Jack._

My omni tool flashed under the table. I checked it discretely.

_'I LOVE you! I may not be able to say it, but I can type it, by damn! Looked it up. Thank you, extranet. Come back soon. – Garrus'_

Jane must have noticed my goofy-ass smile. She waved for the check, "Thanks for meeting with me, Jay. I'll let you get back to your shore leave."

"Thank _you_. I've never worked under a Commander who put in so much effort to get to know her teammates. It's a refreshing change of pace. Especially in _this_ war."

After a small argument over who would pay the bill, Jane and I went our separate ways. As I rode the elevator back up to my mate, I couldn't help but wonder what the Commander planned to do about Alenko. Personally, I'd have shot his ass, but that's me. When I entered the hotel suite Garrus was still lounging comfortably on the bed, nude as can be, and helping himself to a cart full of strange dextro-based foods I will never be able to understand. His eyes remained glued to the vid he was watching as he pointed at me with a morsel of half eaten…_something_.

"Naked. Now.", he commanded before taking another bite.

I snickered with a shake of my head, but I obliged. It felt good to crawl beneath the sheets again. I scanned over the alien dishes on the cart and wrinkled my nose.

"Anything for me on there?"

"Didn't you just finish eating?"

"I'm stocking up for those long months on the Normandy", I said with a pat of my belly.

He chuckled and pointed to the corner, "Your cart's over there. Don't ask me what's on it, I just read stuff off the menu. Probably completely botched most of it."

I stretched and sunk lower into the bed, resting my head onto the soft pillow, "Thanks. I'll scavenge later. So. Tired."

Talons scratched gently at my scalp. Man, I loved that. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you for another round later. Right now, I'm too full to move."

"Get fat and I'll leave you", I mumbled.

"Yeah right. I'll just sit on you and see how far you get. Besides, turians don't get fat, so I should be saying that to you."

I shrugged, "It all just goes straight to my ass anyway."

I heard him hum approvingly, "No problems there."


	12. Not a Drop to Drink

"Think your eye will bruise, Vu? I sure hope so. I want the whole Citadel to know how I beat your ass back there."

I gave him a sarcastic-looking grin, "I bet they'll resurrect a statue in your honor, Adams."

"Yeah", Malcolm added, "Carl Adams, known forever in C-Sec history as the unstoppable apprentice who beat up a _girl _in the sparring ring."

We shared a laugh, then proceeded to perform a dramatized reenactment of the match in which I pretended to get knocked around defensively. That's not exactly how it went down. I was beating the shit out of that little weasel right up until he pulled a fast and dirty on me, socking me right in the ribs where my fractures were still healing. I went down, taking a swift knee to the eye. The officer overlooking the match decided to call it quits before things got really nasty.

"Man, fuck you both!"

Adams left the locker room in a sour huff while we laughed and slapped our thighs. After a few minutes of preparing to hit the showers, Malcolm gave me a soft punch in the shoulder, "Hey, in all seriousness, though, you really kicked ass out there. Did they train you in hand-to-hand in the Alliance?"

"Yeah, it's pretty standard. You pack a pretty good punch yourself. Maybe next time the two of you will get paired up and you can give him a run for his money." I poked at my throbbing ribcage, "Rotten little shit."

He nodded, "Yeah, that was a low blow, even for him. Your ribs okay?"

I grabbed my towel and soap with a casual shrug, "Should be fine. The bone weave they put in was top of the line. One of the benefits of still being considered active duty while I'm here, I guess."

We made our way through the co-ed locker room and into the showers. Each spout was at least separated by a thin wall of curtain, but I had gotten use to showering like one of the guys during my time with the Alliance. That was the price you paid for equal treatment. You want to get treated no different than a man? You got it.

It wasn't so bad. Malcolm and I each claimed a spout and closed the curtains before stripping down and starting the water. I can't even begin to count how many times I fantasized about Vakarian tearing that curtain down and fucking me against the wall. Difficult to fantasize with a dude chatting in your ear, though.

"Any news on when they'll ship you out to N-School?" I heard him ask over the running water.

"They said two years wait at the least. Not sure what the hell they're waiting on, I just hope it doesn't take any longer than that."

"Why the rush? You're only, what, twenty? In another two years you'll still be considered a baby as far as they're concerned."

My soap slipped and fell onto my toe, "Aye! Damnit! Yeah well, I want to be commanding my own ship before I'm thirty."

He laughed, "Who do you think you are, Jane Shepard?"

"Man, if I only had a genie in a bottle."

"Even _he'd_ tell you to get real."

We were six months into our training at C-Sec. Things were running smoothly, and of course I was enjoying my time with Vakarian, but I couldn't help being on edge about hearing back from the Alliance on my ship-out status. I hoped I wouldn't be left there, working at C-Sec as an officer for ten years before they finally decided to move their asses. It was only my backup, after all. After my shower, I dressed into my uniform and grabbed a cool bottle of water from the fridge in the mess. My omni tool had blinked while I was washing, a message from my Security Director.

_'How'd the fight go? Come by my office when you get the chance. – G.V.'_

Minutes later, I stopped by the cluttered room. It was covered in unfinished paperwork. Strange. We always stayed on top of our documentation. Where the hell did all this come from? Vakarian was pushing through a decently sized pile on his desk as I entered.

"With all due respect, sir, what the fuck?"

He chuckled, "That's what I said. Looks like that ordeal with the sniper and your ribcage has cost us some pretty nasty paperwork, Vu. I'm not blaming you, but I'm sure going to need your help with all this."

"No problem. Sorry to cause so much trouble."

"You saved my life, kid. I would never call you trouble."_Don't grin like an idiot. Don't grin like an idiot._ "Damn! What happened to your eye?"

I reached up to touch the swollen, angry area over my left socket, "Lost a fight with someone's knee."

"Aha, yeah I heard about that shit Adams pulled on you in the ring. Nasty little bastard."

I shrugged, taking a large gulp from my water bottle. "Where should I begin, sir?"

"Here, just take these medical summaries for now. I figured you'd be the best one to – Whoa!"

As I reached for the papers, his bare hand brushed against mine briefly. My drink slipped right out my fingers and splattered over the desk. A good amount leaked out quickly before I had a chance to pick it up. A trail of clear liquid was headed directly for a pile of important documents, which I shoved carelessly out of the way in a clumsy attempt to save them.

"Shit, sir, I'm sorry!" I yelled.

I was completely mortified, falling all over myself in front of my Security Director like a love-struck girl on prom night. _Jeez Louise_. Vakarian left in a hurry, off to gather paper towels for the ridiculous mess I had made, no doubt. But there was no time for that, the water was going to drip all over everything in the next couple of seconds. I threw my forearms onto the desk, letting the cold liquid soak into the sleeves of my uniform. It worked to keep things contained until Vakarian came back with the paper towels. I hadn't heard him return. I continued sopping up the rogue water until I heard the sound of something ripping behind me. Standing upright, I turned to find Vakarian holding a cloth towel between both hands. His talons had torn a large hole in the fabric, and he was looking at me with a predatory glower that made my skin hot.

I held up my wet forearms with an embarrassed grin, "I ah, think I got most of it, sir."

He blinked and shook his head quickly, like he was coming out of a trance, "Ah..yeah! Thanks I'll…I just get the rest with ah…I got a towel." He walked around me, clearing his throat. "I'll ah, I'll call you back in when I've gotten all this sorted."

The documents were thrown all over the floor, scattered into an unarranged pile that was sure to take him hours to sort through. _Shoot me now, please_. I dropped onto my hands and knees, working to gather the pile.

"Here, I'll help you", I said. "It's my fault it all ended up on the floor."

I heard a crackling sound above me and glanced up to see Vakarian's hands bundled into tight fists, knuckles popping loudly. He was breathing rather deeply and his eyes were wide, staring right at me. I must have really been pissing him off, trying his nerves with my stupidity. It made my heart sink into my stomach to think I could be disappointing him so badly. Silly crushes aside, I respected the turian more than anyone I knew.

"Sorry again, sir", I said, nearly in a whisper.

He shook himself again, and his body relaxed slightly, "No apology necessary, Vu. Really. Just…ah…I think I just need a few moments alone to get all this together. It's fine, really. I'll come get you when it's ready."

I stood slowly to my feet, feeling completely defeated. I nodded briefly before turning to leave. A warm hand caught my wrist, sending electricity through me. That was nothing compared to the shock that coursed through me when his hand cupped my jaw, tilting my face upward toward his. Every nerve in me was on fire, and there was nothing I could do to slow my breathing rate.

"That eye looks bad, Vu", he said in a low growl only inches from my face. It took everything in me not to wrap my arms around his neck and shove my tongue down his throat. "Maybe you should go get it looked at."

It took me a few tries before the lump in my throat would go down. My palms were sweating, and I know my heartbeat was leaping out of my neck. I wanted to whine in protest when his hand left my face, but I managed to keep the feeling to myself. Shaken, and unbelievably aroused, I left Vakarian's office to venture toward the Medical Ward. Though, part of me kept thinking maybe I should take another shower first.


	13. Knowledge is Power

"What on Palaven is _that_?" Garrus tapped loudly at the glass container, making my poor little hamster squeak and hideaway inside his half a plastic cup house I made for him.

"Don't scare him, you big bully!"

I walked to the front of the battery and pushed my bulky mate aside, grabbing a piece of cheese – or something like it – that I had Jack swipe from the kitchen for me. I lifted the lid and held the morsel in the air, clicking my tongue against my teeth beckoningly. The small ball of fur emerged cautiously, snatched the treat, and hide from sight, filling his tiny cheeks quickly.

"I found the little guy scuttle-butting around the engineering deck. Must have stowed away down there before Shepard left Earth for the last time." My chest tightened at the sentiment of my own words, "She let me have this old cage. Apparently, she had a pet on board at one point. Little fluff ball would die down there without someone to take care of him."

I heard Garrus chuckle behind me, "Brutal, heartless, crackshot marksman behind a scope, and she goes soft over scurrying vermin."

"He's not vermin, he's George Washington, and he's going to help us take back Earth. Aren't ya, George?"

"If you say so."

The doors hissed open, parting the way for my clever thief. "Woowee", she sighed, "Stay away from Shepard for a few days, she's on her rag or somethin'. How's Ozzy?"

I turned, crossing my arms in my chest with a playful grin, "You mean George?"

"Ozzy Osborn would bite the heads off those fucking Reapers, then throw one hell of a party afterwards."

"So, you _do_ know your Earth history."

Jack waved her hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah, I did some research. Whatever. You two get three months worth of fucking out of your systems? I could use some sleep."

Garrus snuck a keen glance to me from the console, nearly making me blush.

"Alenko left the Normandy to join Hackett on his vessel", I said, attempting to redirect the topic. "That's probably why Jane's so pissy."

"Ha! That idiot. Doesn't he know a woman scorned is way worse than anything the Reapers could dish out?" Jack mused, plucking a piece of cheese-stuff to feed to my - well I guess _our_ - new pet.

"I'd be surprised if it wasn't her idea in the first place", Garrus added. "She nearly had to put a bullet in his head back on the Citadel."

"Yeah, I thought for a minute she was going to ask me to do it. Man, I wish she had."

Jack snorted, "Bloodthirsty killer your stray petting, wrench wielding little housewife is, Garrus."

He looked up to wink at me, "Just how I like her."

Our friend feigned a gag, "Man, there's too much damn love in this room. I'll check you guys later."

She started for the doors, and I caught her with a slap on the ass, "Feeling left out, Jackie?"

Her brown ponytail bounced on the upper, unshaved portion of her head as she flinched, "Gah! Don't call me that! And hands to yourself, Vu. I know where they've been." She shot a narrowed glance to my mate and shuddered before exiting the room.

I chuckled quietly to myself as I made my way back to my work at the back of the battery.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Miss I Don't Need Friends has grown quite fond of you", Garrus hummed with a grin.

"She'll never admit it."

"Nope."

I smiled as I cleaned my tools. "Speaking of keeping things to one's self, I've been meaning to ask you something, _dearest_."

My turian looked guilty and hesitant, "Yeeeesss?"

"The night we nearly tore that turian romancer limb from limb at the restaurant, he said something that got me wondering. Forgot to ask you about it until now."

"Uh huh?"

"He said he'd heard stories about what it was like to sleep with a human. Then you said the stories were true. What exactly are these stories, hmm?"

He cleared with throat and chuckled nervously, "I'll ah…I'll have to tell you later."

"Why?"

"Because it'll make me hard as a rock to talk about, and I've got about fifty calibrations to get done before lunch."

I smirked and returned my focus to my tools, "Squirm out of it all you want, Vakarian. You've gotta tell me eventually."

"And I will. Just…not when I have other things to do besides fuck you silly, 'cause that's what talking about it is going to make me want to do. Damnit, we need to change the subject, my plates are already starting to shift just thinking about it!"

We may have been able to eventually change the subject and return to work, but my brain was locked into the topic for the entire day. I'll admit that my productivity for that day was probably worse than crap. As things began to wind down around the ship, Garrus and I relaxed in what had sort of become 'our room'. The battery felt as much like home as anywhere else I had been in the last ten years of my crazy military lifestyle, and I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather share it with. I had even started staying nights with him instead of sneaking off into the quarters. As if people didn't notice me stumbling in through the dark to find my bunk at all hours of the night. By this point our status was probably common knowledge, but if Jane didn't care, there was no need to keep things a secret.

Garrus was shedding his armor for the night. How the man could work all day in that heavy, bulky shit beats the hell out of me. I was curled up on our cot which only barely had enough room for both of us, rubbing my tired eyes. I was strongly considering letting him off the hook about little discussion, and just getting some shut eye instead. But clearly, his thoughts indicated otherwise. He made this quite clear when he crawled over me, licking my neck from collarbone to ear with a flick of his hot tongue. I sighed and arched my back, pressing my chest into him.

"Sleeping with a human woman", he began, whispering with his deep voice in my ear, "is unlike anything I have ever experienced in my entire life."

I raised a brow skeptically, "Most men say that about sex in general. What makes humans so spectacular?"

I felt a talon loop over the top of my panties, tugging lightly, "Turian women are…equip for reproduction. They have the facilities necessary to get the job done, but I have yet to find one that can make me come as many times as you can."

"Better _never_ find one, either!"

He laughed, "Not to imply that I will continue looking, shallah. Promise."

_Shallah_, I had learned was a turian pet-name similar to the human word 'sweetheart'. He called me that a lot recently, especially when he knew he was in trouble.

I smirked, "That still doesn't tell me anything. What exactly is so amazing about it?"

Garrus cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the clinical aspect of our foreplay for the evening, "Well, turian woman have plates, just like the men do. If they are aroused enough, the plates shift to allow us…ah, access. What they don't have is…well, I don't exactly know how to explain it."

"Paint me a vague picture, I'll fill in the details myself."

"Ah…well, their…canal…it's kind of…always open. And…dry."

I blinked, completely lost, "Open and dry."

"I don't know how to say it!"

I couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, alright. How about this: try and explain it to me while we're, ya know."

He paused, "You want me to give you play by play commentary on what I'm feeling while I'm inside you?"

"Yeah, and why it's different. I want to know."

"I'll ah…do my best. Never been a very good public speaker, though."

Our chatting was exchanged momentarily for some caressing, kissing, clothes removing, fringe stroking, and so on until he was resting between my thighs. We were both heavy lidded and breathing loudly. At this point, I wasn't sure how much talking either of us was going to be capable of. His length prodded my entrance and I arched my lower back into him with a sigh as I felt his head slip inside.

"That", he gasped into my shoulder. "Uhn, you don't…have plates…to scrape against. So…soft and…" He pushed forward slowly, sliding in inch by inch, "Spirits, so tight. You…uhhhnn…hug me. Warm. So warm."

My eyes were rolling in their sockets. All the commentary was actually kind of hot. I had meant for it to be educational, but it was actually getting me pretty revved up. I reached down and wrapped my hands around the backs of his thighs, pulling him in deeper. We moaned together and he paused to catch his breath for the next phrase.

"Turians don't hug", he panted. "Women are…different sizes, widths, depths, but they don't accommodate."

He pulled out and thrust slowly back in. My head tilted back. We gasped.

"If…you and she are not a good fit…the sex can be disastrous. She can be too small. It hurts. She doesn't lubricate, so you have to hope yours does a good job."

Yikes, that sounded painful. Another thrust, more moans.

"If she's too big…you don't feel much. Have to try…different positions…or cupping."

His pace picked up, and my hips rocked to meet him, "What's…that?"

"Manual stimulation…around…her opening…to make…it tighter for you. I don't know if I can't keep this up, shallah."

"Please, don't stop."

He groaned, pumping harder now, "But you feel so good. I can't even think straight."

"Tell me. Tell me how I feel."

Hands reached beneath my back, picking me up so I was straddling his lap. He rested back onto his haunches and used his arms, wrapped tight around my waist, to drive me over his shaft. I cried out at the intensity of it. It was incredible.

"Uhn! Soft…wet…tight, so tight!"

"Too tight?"

"No...perfect. Oh, Spirits, I'm gonna come!"

My hands found their way beneath his fringe, over that soft area where he loved to be stroked. His head tilted back into my massaging fingers as he roared to the ceiling, probably louder than he should have. I didn't have the mind to care, though. His climax shot though me like lightening, pushing me over the edge into my own roaring orgasm. As our voices quieted his thrusts became slower, but he didn't stop. It was rare that he ever stopped at only one orgasm. We usually made it through at least three before tapping out to sheer exhaustion.

I felt him chuckled softly, "And no turian woman has ever been able to make me come as quickly as you always do. It's embarrassing, you know."

I grinned, "I don't see why. You can just keep going."

"So?"

"Human men can't. Once they're done, they're done. The woman just has to hope she gets there first."

He looked shocked, "Really? What happens if you don't?"

I shrugged, "Then we don't. I'd had my share of unsatisfied sex before you. I'm not super experienced, but enough to know that this is fucking amazing."

"Yeah? What makes it so amazing?" he asked keenly. I guess it was his turn.

I held onto his shoulder and arched seductively for him, "You stamina, for one thing. You size, for another."

He looked unconvinced, "Thanks, but you don't have to lie. I'm not that big."

"Six inches is our standard issue model."

He laughed outloud, then quickly stopped and cleared his throat, "Sorry."

"See there, big guy? Feel better about yourself?"

"Much. What else?"

I grabbed his neck in both hands, pulling him down on top of me. I quickly shifted on the tiny cot so I could take the lead above him. He held onto my hips as I rocked onto him over and over. His face changed, giving me that look like he was losing is mind. Damn, I loved that.

"Those…incredible little bumps and ridges…oh god…", I moaned.

"You can…feel them?"

I nodded, "Oh, hell yes. Especially when I do this." I rocked my pelvis so his shaft slid along my clit, hitting every blue ridge on the way down. I keened, trying to keep my focus on my task. "Human men…don't lube. If you're not wet enough…it can feel like sandpaper." He made an expression that was difficult to read through his pleasure haze. I could tell he was getting close again. So was I. "Oh…Garrus…"

He moaned, "Say my name again."

"Garrus!"

His fingers gripped me hard, guiding my motions with increased speed. Our moans grew louder. The cot creaked beneath us. I was teetering so close to the edge of another orgasm."Aaah…Officer…Vakarian!"

He came instantly, like I had flipped a switch. His talons broke my skin, but I hardly cared as overwhelming ecstasy ripped through my body. It lasted a surprisingly long time. Just when I thought the wave was over, it sang on, vibrating through me. When it finally did ebb to a close, my muscles curled limply around my mate. We panted heavily, still joined, but neither of us moving.

"And that", he said finally. "Turian women don't do that."

"Orgasm?"

"Pulse. You pulse when you come. I can feel you squeeze around me over and over…it's…unbelievable…"

I couldn't help but wonder what a turian woman's orgasm felt like. If they didn't contract, where did the peak come from? They clearly did _something _similar.

Rather than go for another finish, we both decided to give our exhausted and over-sexed bodies some much needed rest. We replaced some bits of clothing, in case our battery was bombarded for whatever reason, and snuggled in beneath the thin sheet. Garrus always slept on his back and turned his face toward me so I wouldn't get a face full of fringe. I had discovered a soft, plateless area on the underside of his upper arm where my head fit perfectly, and that's how we slept.

I grinned as I drifted off to sleep. Laughing quietly to myself at the absurd ridicule a cross-species relationship like ours would cause back on our respective homelands ha d it not been for more important issues, like war. But damn, if those idiots only knew. If they only knew.


	14. Mourning

"Come on, come on! My grandmother reloads faster than you do!" Vakarian tapped the stopwatch on his omni tool.

I wanted to slap the turian smirk right off his stupid face. The day before, he had told me I was the best shot he'd stood next to in about five years, but I couldn't reload for shit. Today, we were running drills. But the asshole kept doing things to distract me, make it difficult to focus. My black hair was still dripping from the bottle of cold water he had dumped over my head, and now he was jabbing me in the fucking ribs with the barrel of his gun.

"Stop!" I finally yelled.

"You think a Blue Sun is going to stop firing at you just because you can't stick a few heat sinks in a hole? No, they'll shoot your ass and think nothing of it. Move!"

_I know where you can stick 'em, ya jerk._

"Grah! There! I got it!"

He clicked his tongue and shook his head with a sigh, "You gotta do better, Vu. You just gotta."

"Then let me practice in a non distracting environment first. Baby steps, ya know? Dry would be nice."

A hand shoved my shoulder, "Oh, stop being such a baby, it was just a little water. You aren't gonna melt are you?"

"Tough talk for someone who can't swim", I retorted.

My Security Director took a moment to reflect, "Ouch."

I lifted an eyebrow in triumph. It was rare that I ever got aggravated with Vakarian. I was usually too busy swooning over him like a silly little girl with a crush on her best friend's unattainable big brother, but damnit, sometimes he could really get under my skin. And not in a way that I preferred. Still, I had to admit that our professional relationship had grown tightly knit in the last year. It was strange to think that I might actually be able to call one of my superiors 'friend'. Duty kept us linked at the hip during the day, but there was nothing that said we had to chill together after hours as much as we did. There were even a couple of times that I thought maybe, just _maybe_, I had caught him staring at me. Or that a brush of his hand on my mine meant something. Crazy, I know.

"Alright, alright", he said. "You win. I think I've put you though enough today, why don't you go enjoy the rest of your weekend. We'll catch up on Monday. And for what it's worth, you did a good job today, kid. I'm just looking out for my number one, you know that right?"

A cheesy smile played at the corners of my mouth as I grumbled, "Thanks, sir."

I handed the Mantis over before turning to gather my things from the ground. One whole year, and I still hadn't heard from N-School. I was beginning to think they had forgotten about me, or worse, decided against taking me. As I started to walk away, my head in my thoughts, I heard a flanged voice clear itself behind me.

"Ah, hey Vu. You ah…you wanna catch a vid at the cinema later? I've had my eye on that new salarian trailer."

I turned with a casual shrug, "Sure. What time does it start?"

"I'll check and give you a call. Let's shoot for a later showing, though. I'd like to catch up on some paperwork first."

My arms crossed in my chest, "Damn, Vakarian. Don't tell me you're starting to slack."

He grabbed the rest of his equipment and walked to join me on the way out of the C-Sec shooting range. "My mind's been a bit distracted with some things going on back home. I don't have much to do, should be done before the last showing this evening." My mind was distracted as well. I barely heard him over my own thoughts as he continued speaking. "…It wasn't a shock when she died, so at least we have closer in the fact that we all got to say goodbye."

My head snapped toward him, "What? Died?"

"My mother."

"When?"

"This last week. Weren't you listening?"

I felt worse than shit. Vakarian was bearing his heart and soul to me and all I could think about was my stupid N7 training. "Sorry, sir. I guess I missed that part. I'm really sorry to hear about your mother. You haven't taken any leave. You didn't go to the funeral?"

"Couldn't get the time off. My sister brought me in on vidcom, though. It was really beautiful what they did for her."

_Tied to the desk when his mom is being put in the ground…or whatever turians do with their dead. Damn, that sucks._

"Hey, Vakarian, I can help you with that paperwork. No reason you should have to do it alone given what's happened", I suggested as we reached the offices.

He grabbed my shoulder. I felt like dirt for allowing it to make me feel so aroused given the situation, but I just couldn't help it. The man was like a drug to me. "It's alright, Vu. It's my mess to clean up, not yours. I'll call you later."

"If you're sure." He nodded. "Okay, I'm going to go grab a shower and a bite to eat. Catch you later."

I could have sworn I saw his breath catch in his throat when I mentioned the word 'shower', but it seemed like my mind was playing those kinds of mean games on me more and more often. With the locker rooms completely empty, I took the opportunity to mentally play out one of my many Garrus Vakarian fantasies in my head while the hot water fogged the tiled room. I was leaning, back against the cool tile, just about to reach a much needed peak for relief when I thought I heard something. I stopped and listened. Nothing. Pulling the curtain aside slightly, I scanned the locker area. It had sounded like someone either shut a locker door or had ran into one by mistake. Metal on metal. But there was nothing there.

_Great, now I have to start over._

A few minutes later, I was relaxed, refreshed, and slightly ready for a nap. Hunger kept me awake, however, and I made my way to my quarters to drop off my things and head out for some grub. When I wasn't hanging out with Vakarian, I spent most of my time alone. That's how I liked it. Living in tight quarters like we were it was difficult to find time for yourself, so I took it when and where I could find it. The boys usually went to Chora's Den and wasted all their money on asari dancers and bad booze. I called my dad every weekend, then spent the rest of my time either training physically or mentally for what was hopefully to come. After a year of no news, however, each passing day made it more difficult to believe N-School even wanted me anymore. I know they said it would be at least a two year wait, but I figured they would update me from time to time anyhow. I grabbed a meal-on-the-go from one of the vendors and stretched out on a bench to eat and relax a bit. My dad didn't answer my call, so I left a short message before returning to my meal.

"That looks…interesting", I heard behind me.

I checked the clock on my omni tool, "I thought you said it would take you until this evening to finish those files."

Vakarian rounded the bench to take a seat beside me. He had just showered. I could always tell based off the strength of his scent. Holy hell, he smelled amazing. I just wanted to crawl on top of him and bury my face in his neck.

"Turns out they were just repeat offenders. All I had to do was slap a few extra words in there and, done." He shifted in his seat, looking oddly uncomfortable. "Sure does take a long time for human hair to dry."

I shrugged, "Not really. I just haven't been out of the water very long. I like long showers."

His mandibles clicked the way they did when he was keeping a secret, and his hand reached to scratch the back of his neck. What the hell was wrong with him?

He cleared his throat, "You ready for that vid? We can catch the earlier showing now."

I finished the last bite of my food with a nod and stood to throw the container in the garbage. "Drinks? I'm buying."

Vakarian stood with a sigh, "Cinema alcohol is overpriced."

"I don't care. Not spending my hard earned cash on anything else these days."

He chuckled, "Well, alright."

I couldn't even begin to concentrate on the plot of the salarian vid. I think it was a special ops war story, but my mind was elsewhere. I felt like crap for concerning myself with frivolous bullshit while my only friend suffered the loss of a parent. I snuck a glance at him through the corner of my eye. The lights of the film danced lazily across his strong features. The blue, luminescent scrolling on his visor enhanced the color of his eyes, making them glow faintly in the dark room. He was beautiful. I watched as his sight dropped from the screen and locked onto the back of the chair in front of him for a while. He wasn't paying attention to the vid either. His blue eyes traced across his lap, then mine, and upward. I shifted my gaze back to the screen quickly before he realized I had been staring at him, but I could feel his stare penetrate me. Moving nervously in my seat, I bravely looked back over to him, expecting his eyes to dart away at the last moment as mine had.

But they didn't.

My heartbeat kicked up several notches as we stared at one another, each silently challenging the other to look away. After what felt like eternity, his mandibles finally spread into a turian grin. My spine stacked and turned to steel as he leaned in close to me, hot breath beating on my neck in a way that made me shutter.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. Vakarian rose from his seat and lead the way out. All the while, I worked hard to control my rapid breathing while we exited out into the calm pedestrian walk of the Citadel.

"Sorry I drug you to that, Vu. Terrible vid", he said when we made it out. "My head wasn't really in it, anyhow."

"Mine either", I admitted quietly. And it definitely wasn't in it now. Any additional contact from him and I was going to need at least three hours in the shower later.

We walked aimlessly along the boarderwalk, quiet for a long while. It was strange for him to be so withdrawn. The Vakarian I knew was vivacious, talkative, and enjoyed throwing verbal punches back and forth with me. It was our thing, but tonight he was silent. I didn't pretend not to know why.

"Sorry again, sir. About your mom."

He grinned at me, "She was quite a woman. I'll miss her." We rounded the corner and took the bridge over the waterway, "You remind me of her a lot."

"I do?"

"Oh yeah. She was a born leader, strong, bold, courageous. That's how I know you'll go far, kid, just hang in there. N-school didn't forget about you. They'll call, just be patient."

I couldn't help but blush, "Thank you, sir. That means a lot."

Vakarian took a detour to stand at the railing overlooking the water, bending to rest his forearms on the beam, "You'd make one hell of a turian. Shame about your unfortunate DNA."

There was the punch-for-punch guy I was use to. It made me smile as I joined him, "_My_ DNA? That's tough talk coming from a creature that went extinct on my planet. Velociraptors were overrated anyway."

A laugh shook in his chest, "A what?"

"Big bird thing that evolved into a predatory reptile and then died out over a little dust in the air. Pathetic."

"Better than being a hairy primate. Can't you type with your toes? Outta make you twice as fast on your paperwork."

"You're just jealous of my extra appendages."

"All wriggly and unnecessary."

"At least I can afford to lose a few. Take out my trigger finger, and I've still got this", I showed him a vulgar sign with my middle digit, eliciting another roaring laugh from him.

A large hand smacked my back, "I'm really gonna miss you, kid. Sure will be a grim day when they come to take you away from me."

His expression froze, staring out at the water. I could tell he hadn't meant to say it the way it sounded, but still, it felt kind of nice to hear. Part of me was screaming to say 'to hell with it' and see what base I could get to by jumping headlong into the game, but my good sense kept me from doing anything stupid. I won't say it wasn't difficult to hold back, though.

_Definitely gonna need that shower._

Vakarian shifted and cleared his throat loudly, "So, what was your mother like?"

I shrugged, "Dunno. She left when I was little."

His head shot toward me, "Really? You mean, on purpose?"

"Yeah. I think maybe she had some mental issues or something. Dad never really talked about it much. He did a pretty good job on his own, though."

He blinked in obvious disbelief. "She left you" he repeated. "I'm sorry."

I chuckled, "Why?"

"I just…turian parents would never leave their children or their bond mate for any reason. Sure, we get deployed for duty, but we always return to our loved ones. Did she deploy?"

"Nah. Walked away from her military career, too." Vakarian still looked appalled, "It's okay, sir. I don't have any ill feelings over it. It's just the way things were."

"But it shouldn't _have_ to be", he uttered. After a long pause for reflection, the turian shook his head and returned his gaze to the quiet Presidium waters, "If you were mine, Vu, I'd never leave your side for anything. Ever."


	15. Blattodephobia

Back home, there are only two insects that can turn me into a squealing little girl: centipedes and cockroaches. I grew up Texas, we have big hairy spiders the size of your hand. Throw one of those at me and I barely flinch, but let a big fucking tree roach fly past my head and you've got yourself a damn funny show. Needless to say, when I heard we were walking into the belly of a Rachni nest, I was less than happy about the situation. Rachni are nothing but space roaches.

Massive. Fucking. Space roaches.

Intermittent attacks of the willies sent shivers down my spine, making me do a wriggly dance every couple of minutes while my team and I gathered supplies. Garrus thought it was hilarious. Asshole.

"The girl takes on a Reaper headlong without even blinking an eyes, but tell her she's about to go up against a few bugs and all the color leaves her cheeks."

"You alright, Jay?" Shepard asked. "You do look kind of pale. It's not too late to run back and switch out for this mission. I need everyone on my team with their heads on straight."

"I'm fine, Commander", I insisted, shooting my mate an ugly glare. "I've got your six, don't worry about that."

She looked amused as she nodded. When we were done with upgrades and refilling ammo Shepard touched base with the clan leader, Grunt, one last time. Garrus and I stood aside awaiting orders. Another shiver made me squirm and I heard him chuckle.

"You just wait, Vakarian. I'll find out what gives you the heebie-geebies, and when I do, I'll be damn sure to haunt your dreams with it."

"Gives me the huh?"

"It's a bad thing."

He laughed again, "Oh, come now, shallah. It's funny!"

"Laugh it up, turian."

"Oh, I will."

Once all pertinent information had been processed, Shepard motioned for us to come with her into the last compartment to search for any overlooked supplies. The three of us ventured toward the back of the hollow shell, checking crates when the walls began to creak and groan. I shared a panicked glance with the Commander a split second before the whole thing went toppling over the edge of the rocky cliff it was perched on. Shepard was thrown out the side opening, with me tumbling close at her heels. Something caught hold of my wrist and I was yanked to a halt, suspended in mid air. I looked up to find my mate hanging from the edge of the doorway by one arm, grasping mine tightly in the other.

"You alright?" he asked urgently.

"I'm fine. Though, I'm not sure what's worse, a concussion or a dislocated shoulder."

He grinned, "Sorry."

Swinging my legs a few times, I was able to pendulum myself to the nearest rock and climb down. Garrus followed and we ran to help Jane up from the dusty ground.

"You okay, Commander", I asked. She nodded.

"Shepard", the krogan called from above, "You in one piece?" His gruff vocals echoed into our hollow cavern. We were trapped down there. Fuck.

"Looks like we're all okay", she called back. Except me, I was flipping the fuck out inside. "Keep in radio contact."

"On our way."

The next few minutes of trekking through dark silence was bad enough without me jumping at every little movement. I was literally scared of my own shadow in that damn place. Shepard put me in charge of the flame thrower we found, which was pretty cool, but internally there was still a series of 'ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod' running through my worried head. The pods we encountered were disgusting. I took great pleasure in flaming the shit out of those things only to watch them explode with a satisfying _squish_ sound. Garrus nearly had a coughing fit when one of them spit out a few scurrying little Rachni larvae, causing me to dance about, flaming the ground in all directions. Karma's going to be a bitch to that man one day, I can feel it.

We made our way though the dark maze of pods, sticky webs, and krogan corpses to finally meet battle with the terminator-style bugs of my nightmares. I'd take a on a husk over a Rachni with a rocket launcher any day. In the midst of our fighting, somehow I became separated from my team. Garrus and Shepard were held up behind a bolder while I was several paces behind on the opposite end of the giant cavern. Joining them was not an option, however, not unless I wanted to get blown in half. With heavy gunfire on one end, I was beginning to regret my previous thoughts as a barrage of husks came storming toward me from out of nowhere. I switched to my shotgun and took a few out, but they were fast. I nailed three of them to the ground with the butt end of my gun, sliced a few through with my omni blade, and kicked one square in the junk. Apparently, that move hurts whether you are walking dead or not. They were too many, though, and soon I was fighting them off my back.

"Jadzia!" I could hear Garrus screaming my name from his cover. There was panic in his voice.

Another husk leaped onto me just as I threw one off. They just kept coming. One of the dumb bastards tried to bite me through my armor and broke off a few rotten teeth, but it wasn't so much the biting that concerned me as it was their brute strength. They packed a surprising punch for such emaciated beings. I hunched with a cough as one wailed me in the stomach. Another nearly knocked my helmet off with a smack to the back of my head. I couldn't get a good angle on them, I was going down, but not without a good fight. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my mind, but I knew this day had to come eventually. All soldiers die, we just don't know when. That's the contract you sign when you enlist, and I was okay with that.

"Jadzia! No! Fuck!"

_I'm sorry, Garrus. I love you. Win this war for me._

I took another kick to the stomach that sent me to my hands and knees, gasping for air. A knee caught me in the head, and I was on the ground. They pounded on me like a pack of wild gorillas, fists everywhere. I sliced a few ankles with my omni blade before one finally jumped on me, pinning me down. It sat up, straddled on top of me and screamed as it raised its arms high. I squeezed my eyes shut, ready for the beating that would finally bash my helmet into my skull. The weight shifted on top of me and collapsed to the side. I opened my eyes to see that the corpse's head was missing, blown completely off. Another couple of decapitated husks hit the ground next to me. I pressed my hands to the ground, working to stand when a pair of strong arms engulfed me, pulling me upward.

"Damnit, Vu, stay with the fucking team!" he yelled at me.

I glanced over. Shepard was taking heavy fire from cover, all by herself.

"Shit!" I yelled, sprinting to aid her, "Don't fucking lecture _me_ when _you're_ the one who left our commander alone in a firefight!"

He was hot on my heels, firing his gun at hostiles, "What was I suppose to do, just let you die right here in front of me?"

"If that's what it takes to keep her safe."

"You're out of your damn mind!"

I smacked him in the chest plates, "If it comes down to me dying and her living, goddamnit you better be willing to make the sacrifice! If not, then what the hell else are we out here fighting for?"

He took the head off another enemy through his scope before answering, "I'm fighting for a fucking future! One I don't want to live in without you in it!"

"This is all very romantic, but can we focus on the three of us making it out of here alive?" Shepard interjected with annoyance.

"Sorry, Ma'am!"

As if squirmy larvae, rocket blasting Rachni, and headless husks weren't bad enough, meeting the Rachni Queen toward the end of our mission nearly made me faint. The decomposing krogan bodies she possessed sang in unison as she and the Commander spoke to one another. Garrus stood by, uncomfortably close to me for once. Neither of us put our guns away. I was so angry with him for abandoning the one person who actually gave us a shot in hell at saving the galaxy just to rescue my useless hide. Who was I? I wasn't going to take back Earth or destroy the Reapers. It was our job to keep Jane Shepard alive. That was it.

When the Commander decided to free the big ugly bug for the second time, I nearly vomited inside my helmet. No way was I going to be able to stick around with the biggest creepy-crawly monster of my worst nightmares walking around free. Lucky for us, Grunt showed up just in time to whisk us away to safety. I was head of the pack in that retreat, that's for sure.

Once safely back on the Normandy, I made another immediate retreat to the showers. I had to scrub that Rachni shit of off me. Afterward, I was strongly debating whether I should sleep in the battery with Garrus or reunite with my old bunk. I was still so furious with him, but I figured at very least I should let him know I appreciated his valiant efforts to keep me safe. Making my way though the crew deck, I caught sight of my mate through the Med Bay window. His back was turned to me, and he was listening to Dr. Chakwas speak elaborately about something I couldn't hear. His arms were crossed in his chest and he nodded intently every few phrases. Since Mordin gave his life on Tuchanka to cure the genophage, Chakwas was once again the guru go-to person for medical advice. Though, I didn't know what Garrus could need to know if he wasn't directly seeking treatment. Shrugging it off wearily, I decided that I'd rather sleep in my old bunk after all. It would be nice to get some space for a while. I realized that every Couple's Counseling book in the galaxy would be scolding the shit out of me right about then, but I just didn't have the patience to care. Besides, Garrus had known me long enough to know I wanted to be alone when I was upset. He'd understand.

Sleep found me quickly in the dark room. I scrambled through darkened tunnels and fought against a thousand wriggly insect legs in my nightmares, jumping with a start when a pair of them actually lifted me off the ground. Opening my eyes with a gasp, it took me a moment to realize I was being carried into the illuminated hallway across the crew deck. My tired eyes glanced up to see my turian staring straight ahead, as if I wasn't cradled in his long arms. After my disturbing fight with the creepy crawlies in my dreams, his beautiful, scarred face was a welcomed sight and I rested my head against his unarmored chest while he carried me to our shared bed. Just inside the doors, he placed me to the floor and dropped onto both knees, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his forehead onto my abdomen. I stroked his long fringe soothingly.

"I thought I'd lost you", I heard him mutter after a long while, deep voice muffled into my body.

I grinned affectionately, "I'm right here."

"Please, don't ever do that again."

"Party with the husks? Aw, come on, they're not so bad once you get to know 'em. They just party hard, is all."

His light chuckle reassured me, as did the sensation of his talons lightly scraping the skin beneath my tanktop. "You're tough as nails, shallah, I'll give you that. Just…from now on, stay close to me. Promise?"

I rolled my eyes above him with a grin, "Promise."

He moaned, "Keep stroking my fringe like that, and you'll have a lot worse than husks to worry about."

"I like your fringe. It's sexy."

One of my hands traveled to the underside, caressing the smooth area beneath with slow circles of my fingertips. He groaned louder, lowering his hands over my ass and digging his talons in through my thin pajama pants. In an instant he was on his feet, lifting me by the hands cupped on my cheeks to walk me over to the weapons table. That thing had seen more of my ass than it had weapons in the last few months. Garrus' fingers looped into my pants and tugged. I lifted graciously for him and he peeled the fabric quickly off my legs.

He stared for a moment, "No underwear?"

"You know I like to feel the breeze when I sleep."

A rumble of approval ignited in his chest, signaling the beginning of his erotic purring as he dropped to his knees again. I gasped excitedly when his rough hands yanked me to the edge of the table. Laying my legs over his shoulders, I leaned back into my palms and relished in the sensation of plated kissed running up my inner thigh. A shuddering moan escaped me and I bucked. His hands grasped my hips, holding me in place.

"You're not going anywhere", he growled.

A long blue tongue pushed from his mouth and lapped me heavily from entrance to apex, forcing my head back and my elbows to weaken. He wasted no time in concentrating his rough efforts where he knew it counted. I arched, bucked, cried out, but he held me firm. My orgasm released in record time, he couldn't have been down there longer than about thirty seconds. Man, I must have really needed that stress relief. As I came down from my high, my muscles relaxed and I lowered my weight down onto my elbows. Garrus kissed a trail up my abdomen, mandibles flicking proudly. Again, he rested his forehead onto my belly, purring loudly.

"Mmm", I hummed, "you're getting really good at that."

"I think I may have figured out a way to get you pregnant."

The relaxation in my muscles was replaced by steel-hard tension, "What?!"

His head rose to face me, "Well, not me exactly. Chakwas is the brain behind the whole thing, really."

I picked myself up quickly from the table and he stood to his feet, hovering over me with a smile. I couldn't even blink. "Are you out of your damn mind?!"

My mate opened his mouth to respond, but a metallic knock at the door stole our attention.

"Lieutenant Vu, there is an urgent matter I wish to discuss with you and Garrus, please" the robotic voice chimed from the other side of the door.

"Ah", I reached for my pants, pulling them on quickly, "Alright EDI, sure. What's wrong?"

The doors hissed apart, making way for the slender AI. She approached us as they slid closed behind her. "Jeff tells me I should learn to quote, 'mind my own business'. But I feel a moral imperative in my new programming to warn you of information I am privy to. I cannot simply stand by quietly knowing that such activities are occurring without your consent. It would be wrong." Garrus and I shared a worried glance. "It is my understanding that most organics prefer that their reproductive rituals remain a private matter. As such, I feel obligated to warn you that your activities have been observed by a third party recently."

My eyes widened, "Wha?"

"Even inside this body, I remain the ship's AI and continue to take charge of computer systems management and controls. Typically, I allow the two of you privacy by shutting down all surveillance recordings in the Main Battery after a certain hour-"

"Get to the point, EDI." Garrus finally demanded.

"Commander Shepard has learned to bypass my controls." Another worried exchanged passed between my mate and I. "She has been logging on to your personal network in the battery every night for the past three weeks. I am not comfortable with this. I attempted to confront the Commander on numerous occasions about this issue, but she insists that I am mistaken. I know I am not."

Garrus shifted nervously, "Shepard is watching us have sex?"

"I cannot confirm nor deny that particular piece of information, Garrus. All I am certain of, is that my protocols are overridden from the Commander's quarters each night."

I sighed and hid my face in my hands, "Okay, EDI, thank you for sharing this with us."

"You are welcome, Lieutenant Vu."

The AI turned to leave.

"EDI", I said, "Jay is fine."

She smiled over her shoulder at me as the doors slid apart, "Good night, Jay."

Once Garrus and I were alone again, the air was thick with awkward information.

"Well hell, maybe we can get a pay scale increase", I quipped, trying to make light of the situation.

My mate chuckled slightly, "I'll talk to her. Not sure how, but…"

"Maybe we both should. Right after you explain to me what the hell you were talking about before EDI got here with news about our porn career."

"Oh right!", he exclaimed, taking my hands up in his large ones. "Well, long story short, Chakwas believes that perhaps there is a good chance you could conceive." I shook my head with a confused expression. "You have no allergy to dextro-aminos. With some light hormone therapy, the doc thinks it may actually be possible for you to carry safely for a full term."

"Garrus! We are in the middle of a war to save every organic being in the galaxy from extinction. When _exactly_ did you think we'd have time to have kids?"

He shrugged, clearly amused by my outburst, "I didn't seek out this information. It came up by chance, and Chakwas thinks we should give it a try. That is, once the war is over of course."

I was in information overload for the evening, this was too much. I had walked through my worst nightmare, nearly been killed, fought with my mate, been stripped down and exposed by my Captain, and now this. I needed to sit down. Shuffling over to our small cot at the back of the battery, of flopped onto my side and curled into the fetal position, which was fitting considering the conversation.

"Shallah, I thought you'd be happy", he said with a defeated tone.

"I am happy, Garrus, I just…it's hard to know how to process all of this. We're in the middle of something we may not walk out of alive, and you're planning the future. It's just…hard."

He sat next to me, stroking my back, "I know. I just thought this might help give you some hope."

Another sigh escaped me, and I sat up to kiss his scars, "It does, and I would love to be the mother of your children someday, but right now, let's just try and stay alive eh?"

He kissed the back of my hand with a nip of his mandible, and smiled, "That sounds like a damn good plan to me."


	16. Ancient Religion

"So Shep gets her jollies from watching Garrus give it to you rough. What so weird about that?"

Tali and I rolled our heads to look over at Jack. The three of us were sprawled out on the floor of the East Observation Deck, watching the serene calm of our vanishing galaxy with a few bottles of levo-dextro wine.

"Please tell me you are kidding", Tali slurred slightly.

Jack shrugged, "What? I'd consider it a compliment."

All I could do was chuckle and shake my head. Jack was Jack, no changing her, had to love her as is.

"Anyhow", I continued, "Garrus and I are going to go talk to her about it later. Figured I needed a few drinks in me first, though."

My biotic friend swatted the air drunkenly, "Aww, just let her be. What's the harm in letting her enjoy her lonely nights watching the good sex she _used _to get. Ya know, before she dropped him for Alenko and his little pecker."

"Can we _not_ talk about the Commander and my mate! This isn't about them, it's about privacy. How am I suppose to have multiple orgasms when I know someone's watching me?"

"Stage fright, Jay?" Tali quipped.

I pointed at her in the air, arm swaying lightly, "Don't you start! You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"We are on your side, babe" Jack reassured with a laugh, "but I'm telling you now, given the opportunity, I'd watch you fuck."

The three of us laughed. It helped to know I could make light of situations like this. It also helped to know I had friends to do it with. These girls had become like sisters to me on this ship. Garrus was hanging in the cockpit with Joker, no doubt doing the same thing. Maybe it was a terrible idea to go around sharing this information with people, but damnit, if I kept it locked inside any longer I might explode from frustration and embarrassment. Shepard had grown so quiet and withdrawn since Alenko left the Normandy. Maybe she was just lonely. Still, it didn't give her the right to rub one out while I came, captain or not.

"Jeezus", I moaned, rubbing my numb face. "How are we suppose to do this? How the hell do you start up a conversation like that?"

"Hey Shep, heard you like to watch me grind?"

"Thanks, Jack. You help so much."

"Why don't you just put a pillow case over the security cams and forget the whole thing?" Tali suggested.

"Oh yeah, that won't be awkward. Nothing says 'I know you're watching' like a blocked lens. Besides, she can still hear us."

"Garrus is a dirty talker, isn't he? I knew it." Jack remarked coolly.

"Sometimes…I mean, no! Stupid wine."

My friends laughed.

"Does he make you call him Daddy?"

"Ew!"

"It's hotter than you think."

"You got issues, Jack."

"You love me."

About an hour later, Garrus met me at the elevator on the CIC deck. He boarded next to me and leaned in for a kiss, stopping midway with a smirk, "Damn, drink much?"

"I'wuz nervousss", I attempted to respond.

"Uh huh. Maybe you should just let me speak to her."

"No! Imma be yer moral suppor'…tah."

The doors closed behind him as he laughed heartily at my pathetic condition. When the lift reached the top floor, my mate stepped into the hallway and glanced over his shoulder at me. I widened my eyes for a moment, opened my mouth to speak, closed it, and began rapidly pressing the 'down' button. He stepped between the closing doors, forcing them apart to grab my hand.

"Come on, you can do this. Moral support, remember?"

"Wuddif she wannsa three way?" I whisper urgently. "I'm nod inta chicks!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"I ain't crossin' shit."

Garrus knocked at the door to the Captain's Cabin, and we waited. Moments later, the door slid open and our Commander greeted us with a confused smile.

"Hey, you two. Something wrong?"

"Sort of", my turian replied. "May we speak with you?"

She stepped aside with a polite wave of her hand, "Sure, come on in."

I took a small stumble down the steps into her sitting area before taking a seat at the furthest corner. Garrus joined me, shaking his head with an amused grin.

"So, what' up?" the Commander inquired, lowering herself across from us.

My mate glanced at me, and I delivered a 'go ahead, this is your baby' kind of gesture toward our waiting captain.

"Well", he started nervously, "ah…ahem, we wanted to discuss…well, its kind of awkward but…"

"We know you've been watchin' us at night", I slurred bravely.

Garrus gave his own 'well, there it is' kind of gesture, and we all sat in silence for a long while. Shepard looked like someone had drained all the blood from her body. After what felt like an eternity, she finally bowed her head into her hands and groaned, "Oh god, this is so embarrassing."

"I'll say", I muttered. Garrus smacked my leg admonishingly.

Shepard picked her head up and held out her hands in surrender, "Look, I know this seems really strange."

Garrus nodded, "That's an accurate description."

She stood and began to pace, "I don't even know what to say."

"I think what we really want to know is why."

"Fornax i'dnt all _that_ es'pensive. You can have my old issues" , I added. My mate gave me a 'just shut up' look.

The Commander stopped in her tracks, "What? No no! I haven't been watching you have sex!"

"You haven't?", Garrus asked. "Then why are you overriding our security protocols every night?"

"EDI talked to you didn't she?"

"I c'n neither confirm nor deny the-ouch!" a hard pinch at my tricep stopped my drunken speech.

"No no no no, this is all a huge misunderstanding. I am _not_ watching the two of you have sex."

"Then let's just clear all this up, shall we?" Garrus insisted calmly. I decided I should let him do the talking.

She took her seat again across from us with a deep breath, "Well, it's nothing as sick as that, but it's still embarrassing." We sat patiently awaiting her explanation while she awkwardly scratched her head. "I ah…oh man, okay well first off let me say that I overrode your channel by accident…initially. I was up late, couldn't sleep. My data pad runs security checks for me every hour, and I couldn't help but notice the Main Battery was going offline every night around the same time. I thought we had a bug."

"So why not ask EDI to take care of it?"

"I was bored! I figured it would give me something to do for a few hours to get my mind off of things." It wasn't until then that I was noticing the dark circles around Shepard's eyes as she continued, "When I finally got it working again, the two of you were lying in bed, but _not_ having sex, I swear. You were…talking."

Garrus looked slightly unconvinced, "So, you've been tapping into our personal line for three weeks to listen to us talk."

"I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous", she sighed, rubbing her fingertips against her temples. She looked so exhausted. "I'm really sorry, guys. Truly I am."

"Just tell us why you did it, don't do it again, and we'll pretend it never happened."

"I just really hope this doesn't destroy our working relationship."

"No worries, Jane", I said. "I got yer six no madder wut."

Taking one last deep breath, Shepard closed her eyes, "This war. It's cutting into me like a sharp knife. Kaiden left, Earth is burning, we've lost so many good people in this thing. But you two…" She stood from her seat and began pacing again, "No matter what we go through, no matter how bad things get, it's devotion like yours that ultimately drives this entire mission into something believable. Something we can actually fucking hope to accomplish. I had honestly given up hope until I heard the two of you on that security feed. I don't know, it just helps" She stopped and looked at us, sincerity in her eyes, "I've fallen asleep for the last three weeks just listening to you talk to one another. Love one another. That alone has been enough to keep me focused on the positive in this godforsaken war. It grounds me, gives me a reason to push through to the next day. It's not something I can explain, really. I'm absolutely humiliated by my actions, I really hope I haven't ruined everything."

I didn't know what to say. This was one of those deeply emotional situations that had me tongue tied and feeling awkward. I shifted in my seat, hoping that Garrus would continue to take the reins on this one. When he didn't, however, I knew it would be up to me to reassure the distraught woman before us that everything was fine, and her hope didn't have to rest on our words alone. I had idolized this woman since I was ten, put her up on a god-like pedestal. It was strange to see the person you worship reduced to mere mortal status, but at the end of the day, she bled red just like the rest of us. Well, except Garrus, but you know what I mean!

"Jane", I said softly, rising unsteadily to my feet. I placed a hand on her shoulder with a friendly smile, "If what you need is some hope, bedtime stories by me and Garrus aren't the only source. It must be a real burden to think of yourself as the soul hero in this war, like our entire future rests on your shoulders. I'll admit I felt the same way about you for a long time, but the truth is, we're all in this together. You never have to do it alone. And if you're ever feeling lonely, Tali has the hook up on some fucking kick ass wine. You should come lay on the floor of the observation deck and get shit faced with us sometime."

We shared a laugh. The relief in her tired, worried eyes was immediately obvious. It was rare that I actually opened up and made speeches like that, so I hoped she could appreciate the importance of it. A sudden rush of adrenaline washed over me. It was an incredible feeling to realize that my useless existence actually stretched further than personal bodyguard. Knowing that I served a bigger purpose in the grand scheme of things, that we all did, and knowing that my god and I were actually equals, partners.

Friends.


	17. Endings

**SO! It's been fun, but I think I finally scratched that itch, guys. This will be the last chapter. BIG thanks to those of you who stuck with me till the end! **

****Major note here: many of you have commented that Garrus and Vu (…or I, rather) should survive the war and have babies. While that is all very romantic, I usually gravitate more toward stories that kill their heroes in the end. It just feels like so much more of an ultimate sacrifice for them to give their lives for the cause. That said, as much as I thought Harry Potter should have died, I still LOVED JKR's ending. SO! Given that this was based on a 'choose your own adventure' type of game, I have decided to write two endings for your reading pleasure. The first will be the original, bitter-sweet ending which I initially intended, and the other will be more Happily Ever After. Both will be marked, so if you do not wish to read one, you will be able to skip though to the ending of your choice.**

**Thanks again! Hope you stop by and read more of my stories. Comments/critiques are welcomed as always, and let me know if you have a fun idea for a one shot. I love a challenge!**

**Original Ending:**

My name is Jack.

Jane Shepard, Garrus Vakarian and Jadzia Vu were my friends. My family. Hell, fuck it, I loved them. They were damn good soldiers, amazing comrades, and the best damn team of heroes this galaxy has ever seen. Earth is in some pretty bad shape right now, but we're alive because of them. All of them, everyone who died in this fucking thing so useless shitholes like me could have a future. It's fucked up, if you ask me, but no one has. I guess the best we can do from here is rebuild and remember. I'll make damn sure everyone does remember, too.

It's hard, I won't lie. It gets to me, some days worse than others. But when I feel like I just can't deal with how much I miss Vu, it helps to know I can read this data journal. It's like she's sitting right next to me. Sometimes I read it out loud to George. I don't think he believes that she's not coming back. I wouldn't either if I hadn't seen it for myself. Most of the time I wish I hadn't, but I guess in some fucked up way, it gives me closure or some shit like that.

Garrus and Vu drug the Commander into that beam, kicking and fighting until the very end. They had all taken a hard hit by a reaper. Those of us watching from the back line thought for sure we had lost all hope, but when Vu started moving on the body-littered ground, we all tensed in our places. A few of my surviving biotic kids and I fought off hordes of enemies while we watched her and my wounded turian friend lift Jane to her feet. Together the three of them hobbled slowly toward the beam, Garrus and Vu shooting in all directions, protecting their friend. She made it to her target, and for a moment I felt the premature tingle of relief in my veins. The euphoria crashed suddenly as I watched Vu wobble in place before collapsing to the ground. Garrus dropped over her, shaking her shoulders and shouting her name. I could almost hear him over the deafening gunfire surrounding us. A heavy hand reached for his face, cupping it briefly before sliding slowly down his shoulder. My heart leaped into my throat. I'm not much of a crier, but I'll admit right here and now that at that moment, I cried. I cried for the friend I knew I had just lost, and for the friend who was now screaming in agony, holding her limp body to his rocking chest.

The following events happened in a blur. I remember a barrage of husks. The firing of a gun which quickly emptied its clip. The swinging of arms and slashing of an omni blade. I screamed for him to get out of there, shot a few unsuccessful biotic bolts in his direction. Cursed his stupid fucking ass.

But he refused to leave her.

There was nothing I could do from where we were. Nothing but watch. When the Reapers finally went crashing into oblivion, my comrades cheered around me, hugging and laughing in triumph. I sprinted over the devastation toward my friends, praying to every god I could think of that they would only be badly injured. I thought for a hopeful moment that my prayers had been answered when I caught sight of them laying there on the ground. They were face to face, lying on their sides. Their lids were held statically open, staring into one another's eyes. They looked so peaceful, like they were just lying there amongst the rubble, sharing secrets, hand in hand.

According to Earth customs, Garrus Vakarian and Jadzia Vu were buried side by side in what will be known as the Shepard Memorial Cemetery. The Commander's body was never recovered, but the legacy of her sacrifice will live on forever, as it will for all of those who have given their lives. Since the relays were destroyed, Tali will have to stay here for the foreseeable future. Don't tell her, but I'm glad the bitch can't up and leave on me for a while.

Maybe someday I'll edit this thing and publish it as a memorial autobiography. The journal dates all the way back to Vu's childhood. There's some incredible shit in here, shit she never talked about. Of course, I guess it will have to be censored for all the hardcore sex and cursing. Damn picky socialites. No worries, though, I'll keep the originals. That's how she would have wanted it.

So, like I was saying, my name is Jack. I'm not sure how much that means to anyone. I'm also not sure how this fucked up world will turn out, but what I am sure of is that it has a future, and I'll honor that future for the ones who can't share it with us. I never thought I'd have a family as long as I lived, but Jadzia Vu was my best friend, my family, my sister, and I "lah" and miss her.

_Every fucking day._

**HAPPY ENDING STARTS HERE:**

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

"Owowowowowow! Fuckin' shit, Vu, you're breaking my godamn fingers!"

I tried to loosen my death grip on poor Jack's hand, but the pain had me locked in. Man, I'd rather take another shot in the ribs than deal with that shit again.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS GARRUS?!" I screamed, bearing down with another horrible contraction.

Dr. Chakwas came to my side with a cool, wet cloth, placing it over my forehead, "I just spoke to him, he's on his way."

"HE BETTER HURRY UP!"

Jack finally managed to pull her purple fingers from my grasp. She shook them in the air with a grimace, "Don't worry, babe, he'll be here. He won't miss this."

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF HE MISSES IT, DAMNIT! I WANT TO RING HIS FUCKING TURIAN NECK!"

To this day, Chakwas tries to tell me that the delivery was perfectly standard, but I still say it must have hurt worse than any 'normal' human birth. As far as we knew, I had carried a healthy baby to a full term. The length of the pregnancy was the typical nine month span, and things had gone pretty smoothly with the gene and hormone therapies and nearly weekly checkups from the Good Doctor, who I was really hating at that moment.

"We still don't know what she's having, Doc. Maybe the baby is all spiky and plated, like pushing out a watermelon with cactus spurs" Jack mentioned.

My eyes widened with terror.

"You'll be fine, Vu", the doctor reassured. "Even if the baby is a turian, the plates do not begin to harden until puberty. The baby will be soft and pliant, I promise."

Not only was it impossible to determine the sex of the baby, but we were also completely in the dark as to which species the little one would resemble. Apparently, Garrus and I weren't the only insane, interspecies couple to give this endeavor a try since the defeat of the Reapers. It had been discovered that, while both species were involved in the creation process, the genetic codes would only allow for one of the two traits to be expressed as dominant. Basically, that means that we had a fifty-fifty shot for the baby to look human or turian, being only a carrier for the gene that was not physically expressed. It was a relief, really. Who knows how ass crazy a hybrid baby-thing would have looked.

Another strong contraction ripped through my entire being, forcing me to cry out at the top of my lungs. Garrus had been amazing through the entire pregnancy, but right about then, I wanted to kill the bastard. A few seconds of screaming later, the door crashed aside and a breathless turian stumbled into the room.

"I'm here! I'm here! Did I miss it?" he yelled, hobbling over to me on his bum leg. Unfortunately, I had little sympathy for him just then.

"DOES IT _LOOK_ LIKE YOU MISSED IT? AAAAAAAAHHH!"

"She's nearly fully dilated, Garrus. We'll begin pushing soon, you're right on time." Chakwas assured him calmly, donning a pair of rubber gloves with a small grin.

My mate approached me with a worried expression, lying a hand on my huge, round belly, "Does it really hurt _that_ bad, shallah? I could hear you down the hall."

I thrashed out quickly, gripping the front of his shirt in my fist before yanking his entire bulk forward so he was nose to nose with my sweaty face, "YOU CALLIN' ME A LIAR, VAKARIAN?!"

His eyes went wide with shock, "No Ma'am!"

Almost immediately, another contraction started building inside. I reached for his hand, which he gave gladly. Jack and Chakwas both shouted and waved their hands, fantically recommending that he decide against his action, but it was too late. The pain set in, my hand clamped down, Garrus groaned with a grimace and nearly feel to his knees.

"Tried to tell you, man" Jack said from a safe distance.

I heard Chakwas chuckle as she settled onto her stood between my thighs, "It's too late for an epidural for Vu, but would _you _like one, Garrus?"

"She can't have one?" he groaned painfully, "Why?"

"AHHH! SHIT FOR BRAINS...GOT STUCK…IN THE…CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC!"

"Aw come on, Vu", Jack argued amusingly. "Joker did the best he could."

"Are you ready to begin pushing?" the doctor asked.

"JUST GET IT OUT OF ME!"

"Alright, Vu, alright just calm down. Take a deep breath, wait for the next contraction, aaaannd…_push_!"

The next few minutes were a blur of pain, yelling, encouraging chants…and maybe even a little bit of crying. It hurt, okay?! When Chakwas announced that she could see the baby's crown, I quickly released Garrus so he could investigate the species. He took one look between my legs, rolled his eyes up into their sockets, and collapsed on the floor.

"GARRUS!" I yelled with sincere concern.

My best friend attended to him while I continued to push and scream, asking questions every few seconds. "Is he okay? What is the baby? Is it almost out? Can I have a C-section? What's wrong with Garrus?"

The good doctor remained calm and quiet, speaking only to coach me through another push, then another, on and on. I was exhausted. I didn't know how much longer I could go.

"Just one more, Vu. Come on, you can do one more!" Chakwas yelled, patting my foot.

Taking a deep breath, I gave it all I had, pushing with all my might. Honestly, I don't think even N7 training was _that_ hard. I gasped for air when it was finally over, throwing my head back onto the sweat-soaked pillow. Seconds later, a small cry filled the room. I lifted my head from the pillow to see Chakwas quickly stand and turn away with a small bundle of flailing arms and legs. She cleaned my new baby on a table out of my line of sight while I struggled and craned my neck to see. Garrus finally came-to and stood slowly from the floor next to me with guided assistance from Jack.

His large hand cupped my cheek gently as he pressed his forehead lovingly into mine, "Are you alright?"

"The baby", I gasped. "Chakwas…won't tell me."

He grinned and placed a finger to his mouth plates, "Shh…listen."

I closed my eyes and obliged, finally taking in the small flanged voice in the infant cry. My face relaxed into a large smile, reflecting my mates. Our baby was a turian.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the doctor finally turned to us, gently carrying a tiny swaddled package wrapped in a pink blanket. She smiled wide as she placed the bundle into my open arms.

"Your daughter."

She was no longer crying, only grunting and cooing lightly in her warm covers. The delicate fingers of one, three digit hand peeked from beneath the cotton folds. I slid my finger beneath her palm and she squeezed tightly, warming my heart. The short fringe along her scalp was soft and warm like skin. The dotted ridges along her collarbone and carapace were raised, but not hardened. She was delicate and vulnerable from head to toe. Even her tiny mandibles had soft, rounded edges.

She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

As I held her in my arms she nuzzled comfortably into me, finding a sweet breathing rhythm in her sleep. My mate ran a light thumb along her forehead and stroked the back of her hand, still wrapped firmly around my finger.

"What will you call her?" the doctor whispered as we all admired the newest life on Earth.

I exchanged a glance with Garrus and smiled lovingly at our precious daughter.

"Jane", I responded. "Jane Tali Vakarian."


End file.
